Loss and Damage from Climate Change: Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

This book provides an authoritative insight on the Loss and Damage discourse by highlighting state-of-the-art research and policy linked to this discourse and articulating its multiple concepts, principles and methods. Written by leading researchers and practitioners, it identifies practical and evidence-based policy options to inform the discourse and climate negotiations. With climate-related risks on the rise and impacts being felt around the globe has come the recognition that climate mitigation and adaptation may not be enough to manage the effects from anthropogenic climate change. This recognition led to the creation of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage in 2013, a climate policy mechanism dedicated to dealing with climate-related effects in highly vulnerable countries that face severe constraints and limits to adaptation. Endorsed in 2015 by the Paris Agreement and effectively considered a third pillar of international climate policy, debate and research on Loss and Damage continues to gain enormous traction. Yet, concepts, methods and tools as well as directions for policy and implementation have remained contested and vague. Suitable for researchers, policy-advisors, practitioners and the interested public, the book furthermore: • discusses the political, legal, economic and institutional dimensions of the issue • highlights normative questions central to the discourse • provides a focus on climate risks and climate risk management • presents salient case studies from around the world.

Chapter 1. Overview: Climate risk management and justice for the L&D debate -- Chapter 2. History of debate: from climate justice to climate risk management.-Chapter 3. What is Loss & Damage? Perspectives & Concepts -- Chapter 4.Weather related losses and damages: what can we learn from disaster data? -- Chapter 5. Frontiers in science for supporting L&D decision making -- Chapter 6. Attribution -- Chapter 7. Legal liability -- Chapter 8. What does non-economic loss and damage mean and what challenge does it present to the L&D Mechanism? -- Chapter 9. Loss & Damage to ecosystem services -- Chapter 10. Technology Justice and Loss and damage -- Chapter 11. Integrated Management of Climate Risk -- Chapter 12. A Socio-Economic Climate Risk Management Framework to inform the Loss and Damage mechanism -- Chapter 13.Exploring adaptation frontiers with insurance: the role of risk transfer -- Chapter 14. Climate insurance and risk management: From AOSIS to MCII to InsuResilience -- Chapter 15. Climate insurance? Reviewing regional sovereign insurance pools -- Chapter 16.Balancing liability and needs – a principled approach for the L&D mechanism -- Chapter 17. The case for Loss and Damage in Bangladesh -- Chapter 18. Local-level Implementation of Loss and Damage: insights from the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance work in Peru & Nepal.