UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITS OF ADAPTATION LOSS AND DAMAGE: CONCEPT AND OVERVIEW

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1 UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITS OF ADAPTATION LOSS AND DAMAGE: CONCEPT AND OVERVIEW Dr. Preeti Soni Assistant Country Director & Head (Energy & Environment) United Nations Development Programme, India Conserving Now, Preserving Future

2 Adaptation is not enough!! Why is loss and damage important? Loss and Damage is well grounded in climate science. There are limits to what people or natural systems can adapt to. With fast changing climate, climate change impacts will exceed adaptation limits. Mitigation cannot avoid all climate change impacts, and adaptation cannot avoid all harm from those impacts. Loss and Damage refers to permanent loss or repairable damage caused by climate change (economicand non-economic) Impacts of these changes over the next few decades will bring about a world that may be quite different from the ones we are living in now Loss and Damage is creating space to towards a comprehensive, development-centered paradigm for riskmanagement.

3 WHAT IS LOSS and DAMAGE? No common agreed definition UNFCCC terms issue area: Approaches to address loss and damage associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change Results of climate change impacts to which individuals or groups of individuals are unable to address, thus resulting in loss and damage. Working definitions of Loss and Damage The actual and/or potential manifestation of impacts associated with climate change in developing countries that negatively affect human and natural systems. (UNFCCC Synthesis Paper on Approaches) Negative effects of climate variability and climate change that people have not been able to cope with or adapt to. (UNU working definition) The negative costs, which are not avoided through adaptation and mitigation, and which can be further split into economic and non-economic losses (UNFCCC, 2013)

4 LOSS AND DAMAGE Historically, variability has remained within the coping and adaptation range Climate change shifts this trend/trajectory outside of the adaptation range

5 LOSS AND DAMAGE How will Loss and Damage affect development? Failure to reduce losses and damage and/or being unprepared to deal with the residual impaccts can lead to consequences for development Economic (While it s hard to pin a value, economic models suggest climate change already costs hundreds of billions in damages globally during 20 Century through lost crops, rising seas & extreme weather). Non-Economic Physical Assets (Damage to buildings) Livelihoods (crop loss) Economic Assets (reduced tourism revenue) Human capital (deaths, migration) and Natural Resources (BD, ecological services) Sovereignty (loss of territory) Cultural resources (destruction of heritage)

6 ECONOMIC IMPACTS Rising ocean temperatures affecting economy dependent on coastal resources. Wide spreading drought causing decline in agriculture productivity. Cost of health impacts will be huge for the government and individuals. Cost of infrastructure creation and maintenance will be huge development agencies. Cost of electricity generation will increase; de-carbonizing power production. Labor Productivity will adversely affect manufacturing and service sector. Regional Migration will make resources scarce. World food prices will affect regional and national economy.

7 NON- ECONOMIC IMPACTS Loss of life: lives killed Human health deterioration Forced displacement Impact on biodiversity by changing the distribution of climatic conditions necessary to sustain certain species. Loss of culturally important landscapes. Habitat destruction Loss of emotional well-being associated with health impacts. Loss of indigenous knowledge

8 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW: UNFCCC NEGOTIATIONS Quick history of Negotiations on Loss and Damage 2007: Bali Action Plan pulled together different streams of work including risk management/reduction. 2008: AOSIS submission on how to address the BAP proposed Multi-window Mechanism) to address L&D (Insurance, rehabilitation/compensation, risk management components) 2010: Work Programme on Loss and Damage initiated at COP : Series of workshops, expert reports and meetings were held to address the three work streams. At COP18 in Doha, work programme culminated in a decision Establish Institutional arrangements to address loss and damage Hold expert meeting and prepare technical papers 2013: COP 19 in Warsaw, Poland established the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage under the Cancun Adaptation Framework to address loss and damage associated with impacts of climate change.

9 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW: UNFCCC NEGOTIATIONS Paris and beyond 2015: The Paris Agreement recognizes in Article 8 the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage from climate change, and encourages cooperation and facilitation to enhance understanding, action and support on risk reduction and management. Emerging as a distinct third pillar In the NDCs Over a quarter of NDCs make explicit reference to loss and damage

10 WAY FORWARD Enhance knowledge & understanding (comprehensive risk management structure) Reassess Climate Change Information Strengthen coordination stakeholders & institutions at different levels Identify finance, technology, capacity needs Work across disciplines to effectively address all elements. Address loss and damage building on existing actions. At the international level High-level segment established along with scientific basis Secure financial resources for the WIM At the national level: Integrate at national & sub-national planning Evidence-based decision-making

11 COMITTMENT TO ADDRESS LOSS AND DAMAGE 1. Do we have a sense of rising Loss and Damage and what are the developing country perspective? 2. Globalunderstandingand commitments towards thewarsaw International Mechanism and Paris Agreement. 3. Global assessment and methodologies to address loss and damage. 4. Financing needs & links to existing financial mechanisms: How should Loss and Damage be funded? Where should the money come from? What are the mechanisms involved? 5. Case study- Urban Loss and Damage.