Harjeet Singh, of the environmental group International Climate Action Network, said the new climate compensation fund approved on Sunday was “a warning to polluters that they cannot continue to destroy the climate and get away with it.”

“From now on, they will have to pay for the damage they cause and be accountable to the people facing massive storms, devastating floods and rising seas,” he added.

“In a historic breakthrough, rich nations have finally agreed to create a fund to help vulnerable countries suffering from devastating climate damage,” said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute environmental think tank.

“This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose homes are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders who are forced to leave their ancestral lands,” he added.

“This positive outcome of COP27 is an important step in rebuilding trust with vulnerable countries,” he noted.

Martin Kaiser, director of Greenpeace Germany, described the deal for the loss and damage fund as a “little plaster on a big, open wound”.

“It is a scandal that the Egyptian presidency of the COP gave petro-states like Saudi Arabia space to torpedo effective climate advocacy. They have prevented a clear decision on the urgent need to phase out coal, oil and gas,” he said.

He noted that the meeting “carelessly risks adhering to the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) limit.

“I am proud to be here to testify that it has happened and to have done my bit,” said Kathy Jetnil-Kijinier, Marshall Islands climate envoy.

“Exhausted but it was worth it to protect islands, coastlines and cultures that are already disappearing. A lot of people were telling us this week that we wouldn’t make it. I’m so glad they were wrong.”

She added: “I wish for the phase-out of fossil fuels. The current text is not enough. But we have shown with the loss and damage fund that we can do the impossible. We know now that we can come back next year and phase out fossil fuels once and for all.”

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