Loss & Damage

Loss & Damage

DEFINITION
Youth4Capacity and Climate Words

Loss & Damage refers to the destructive impacts that climate change is having today, in spite of mitigation and adaptation efforts. While negotiators and policymakers work to avoid the worst-case scenarios of climate change, a certain amount of destruction caused by humanity’s burning of fossil fuels is already ‘locked in’. For example, rising sea levels have already caused infrastructure damage to the Marshall Islands.

Loss & Damage falls into two categories: economic and non-economic. It also refers to a movement led by climate vulnerable nations who have contributed the least to global warming to get the biggest emitters to pay for damages caused by climate change. In 2022 at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, countries agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) to help developing and low-income nations recover from climate-change induced destruction. The LDF was operationalized in 2023 at COP28 in Dubai. As of December 2023, wealthy and developed nations pledged a combined $700 million to the LDF.

RESEARCH
Interviews by Pamela EA
Research and Text by Megan Snaith
Video Editing by Molly Nemer
Editing by Youth4Capacity

Ready to dig deeper? Here are some key terms and resources for further learning related to "Loss & Damage."

Economic loss and damage: The destructive impacts of climate change that can be quantified. For example, destruction of infrastructure, disruption to supply-chains, and damage to crops.

Non-economic loss and damage: The destructive impacts of climate change that cannot be quantified. For example, destruction to spaces of sacred and cultural importance, loss of Indigenous Knowledge and psychological well being.

Climate vulnerable communities: Communities that are especially at risk to the ravages of climate change due to a combination of geographical, historical, and/or political factors. For example, many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) experience more extreme weather events like storms and drought, and are threatened by sea level rise.

New Collective Quantified Goal (NCGQ): A new climate finance goal to support developing countries in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. It is set to be adopted at COP29 in Azerbaijan (2024) and will take effect by 2025. The NCGQ replaces a previous pledge wealthier/developed nations made to provide $100 billion in climate financing to developing countries.

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