Assessing climate-related non-economic loss and damage and rethinking the relation between L&D and adaptation

Birkmann, J., Jamshed, A., Totin, E., Handmer, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-7946, Huang, L., Qiu, S., Anthonj, C., Hess, J., & Boyd, E. (2026). Assessing climate-related non-economic loss and damage and rethinking the relation between L&D and adaptation. Environmental Research Letters 21 (2) e024029. 10.1088/1748-9326/ae34cb.

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Abstract

The international discourse on loss and damages (L&Ds) under the climate convention is ongoing. Significant attention has been given to a dedicated fund to assist vulnerable countries to recover from climate related L&D. While much of the political discussion focuses on the amount of funding needed and who should pay, less attention is given to risk reduction initiatives eligible for the L&D funding mechanisms. There is also an emerging need to link L&D funding with adaptation (funds) which is not yet being given enough consideration. Against this background, the paper presents different dimensions of L&D for example on severity and compensability, and provides a new perspective that goes beyond the current discourse of economic versus non-economic or direct versus indirect L&D. A global analysis is complemented with a set of L&D related case studies to explore both conventional economic dimensions of L&D, and under-represented dimensions, such as population displacement and human mobility, territory and cultural heritage. These cases highlight how different types of L&D are articulated in climate related initiatives. The cases point towards the need to better connect L&D and adaptation strategies and funding to strengthen climate resilience. The paper informs the ongoing international debate on L&D, highlighting the importance of understanding its different dimensions, the effectiveness of climate-related policies across countries and the need to rethink the concept of L&D as compensation, since this falls short of supporting climate resilience. Recommendations emphasize national and local level monitoring, funding tools and international cooperation.

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