The Honorable Ralph Regenvanu from Vanuatu, who serves as Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Management, has sent a letter of appreciation to ecbi Director Benito Müller. The letter thanks Professor Müller for his “engagement with Vanuatu on finding innovative solutions to financing solutions to address expanding loss and damage needs [and appreciating his] inspiring work over the last two decades in promoting air-ticket solidarity levies [to help] developing countries ... cop[e] with adverse impacts of climate change, culminating in the current proposal for a Climate Solidarity Alliance of high ambition nations willing to [jointly] implement ... national air-passenger solidarity levies as an innovative source of Loss & Damage funding, with a view to ... announc[ing] this alliance at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.”

Vanuatu is currently deliberating a range of innovative financing sources to address expanding loss and damage, including through the introduction of a levy on non-economy air travellers.