COP30: The ICRC's call to strengthen climate action and finance in conflict settings

Negotiations on limiting the worst consequences of climate change have been ongoing for decades. In 2015, the signatories of the Paris Agreement agreed to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for a maximum increase of 1.5 degrees. However, current government pledges place the world on a likely path to exceed 1.5 degrees in the near future (WMO, 2023; UNEP, 2022).

In all scenarios, some level of warming will continue because of past emissions, which will compound and intensify climate extremes and exacerbate humanitarian crises. Without mitigation, the need for climate adaptation will continue to increase, requiring – in some cases – large-scale social, cultural, political and economic transformations. In the absence of effective mitigation, and beyond the limits of adaptation strategies, climate change will continue to have a negative impact on people’s lives, homes, infrastructure, assets and livelihoods. People will therefore need support to avert, minimize and address the loss and damage associated with the adverse impacts of climate change, as well as to limit biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, so that the most vulnerable communities – including those affected by conflict – do not fall even further behind.