Negotiations over compensation payments for climate damage in developing countries will become a key test at next month’s COP27 gathering A flooded house near the Indus River in Sindh, Pakistan, on Sep. 9, 2022. Photographer: Asim Hafeez/Bloomberg The US has decided to support formal UN negotiations over possible compensation and assistance to countries that suffer devastation from storms, floods and droughts made far worse by climate change, senior administration officials said on Wednesday. The decision adds to a growing focus on what diplomats term “ loss and damage ,” a mechanism by which wealthy nations responsible for most planet-warming emissions might address the climate damage suffered by developing countries. But while the US is supporting dialogue on the issue, the officials said US negotiators at next month’s UN climate summit in Egypt are discouraging any explicit push for new aid or funding in an agenda item framing the talks. […]