The term ‘Loss and damage’ refers to the residual losses and
damages associated with climate change after all mitigation and adaptation
activities are implemented. Though the issue of loss and damage received attention
in the sixteenth session of the Conference of Parties that drafted Cancun Agreements in Cancun in 2010, scientists have far before
warned the possibility for residual damages from climate change. The Fourth
Assessment Report of the IPCC released in 2007 has clearly identified the reasons
why climate change adaptation, as we know today, may fall short of
expectations. Some of the reasons identified were the inability for some of the
adaptation actions not implemented to the extent at place and time they are
needed, limitations such as policy imperfections that may work counter to
adaptation practices, limited understanding on the effectiveness of known
options to date and failure of adaptation practices to prove effective for
longer time periods. Over and above these imperfections, barriers such as limited
capacity to implement adaptation projects, limited financing and limited available
adaptation options further pose bottlenecks to achieving maximum adaptation
globally. The failure of adaptation practices can happen in all developmental
contexts. As evident from the literature reviewed by the IPCC 4th
Assessment Report and reports emerging from elsewhere, adaptation practices
could fail to prove effective both in developed and developing countries though
such possibilities might be higher in developing countries due to underlying
developmental and capacity factors. The residual losses associated with climate
change has both historical and future angle to it. As discussed above, the
evidence has started emerging on the extent to which adaptation practices have
failed to perform. Though our understanding on the future climate impacts
continue to emerge along with the improving climate predictions, scientists are
certain that limits to adapt continue to be an issue for years to come. The
greater recognition of residual losses raises several important questions for
different stakeholders involved in climate change: how much more adaptation and
mitigation is needed to reduce the residual damages, can hard-pushing the
existing options will suffice or there is a need for greater innovation, to
what extent overcoming the known barriers to climate agenda will help and what
does it mean for communities and countries already at risk?
Farmers are one of the most impacted and least heard communities
Taking this entire paradigm into planning strategies is
vital for sustaining and improving adaptation efforts at all levels. Recognizing
this, the Cancun Adaptation Framework has clearly identified the requirement
for international cooperation to understand and mitigate the loss and damage
associated with climate change particularly to help the most vulnerable
developing countries and has decided to establish a work program on loss and
damage for enhancing the related work. Further to these efforts, the Conference
of Parties that met at the Doha Climate Change Conference has decided to establish
an international mechanism, in the form of a network or forum, to address the
loss and damage and to prepare technical papers that identify gaps in our
understanding on non-economic losses and gaps in institutional arrangements.
The Conference of Parties have also decided to organize an expert meeting to
understand and bridge gaps to address slow onset disasters such as droughts and
sea level rise.
As is the case with other elements of climate change
discussions, the issue of loss and damage has attracted divided response from
developed and developing countries. Monitoring the submissions made to the
Conference of Parties and related discussions on the sidelines of these events
show clear division in terms of components to be included in the international
debate on loss and damage (e.g. the issue of compensation to loss and damage
emanating from residual climate change impacts after implementing adaptation
actions) and necessary institutional arrangements. While developing countries have
proposed to introduce international financial mechanisms such as insurance and
compensation mechanism for the historical and future residual damages,
developed countries have urged to focus on efforts to greater understanding of
the issue and implement capacity building measures to address the issue. While
this difference in opinion will continue to exist for a foreseeable future, it
is incontestable fact that all countries need to work together to address the
residual losses associated with climate change since the evidences suggest
neither developed nor developing countries are immune to it. Loss and damage could
just mean relentless innovation and relentless effective adaptation. People,
get back to your drawing boards!
