Reparations for Loss and Damage? The Cosmopolitan Right in the Context of the Coloniality of Climate

Loss and damage have become an important element of global climate negotiations. For many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other vulnerable societies loss and damage are already a part of their existence, as global warming and sea-level-rise threaten their territories and livelihoods in ways that are beyond adaptation and mitigation. From the perspective of SIDS, loss and damage is not merely a question of economics and sufficient finance mechanism to compensate these losses, but a matter of justice and survival. In this chapter I look at irreversible loss and damage through reparative justice, which recognises global responsibility for climate harm, as well as historical colonial responsibilities that have contributed to loss and damage. I propose that Kant’s cosmopolitan right and his criticism of colonialism can be used to draw connections between reparative justice and the coloniality of climate. I suggest that Kant’s vision of perpetual peace in which both the common ownership of the earth as well as the sovereign integrity of states are recognised can serve as a guarantee of non-repetition against future climate harm.