OPTIONS FOR ADAPTATION AND LOSS & DAMAGE IN A 2015 CLIMATE AGREEMENT 2.2 Loss and Damage (L&D) Traditionally, L&D was described as the “residual” impacts of climate change, which mitigation and adaptation could not prevent. However, it has become clear that the mitigation-adaptation-loss and damage relationship is inherently broader and more complex. Like many elements of climate change, loss and damage exists on a spectrum, where impacts may be experienced immediately and/or over time, as singular or multiple events, and with temporary and permanent implications. In 1991, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) proposed the establishment of an international insurance pool as a “collective loss-sharing scheme” to “compensate the most vulnerable small-island and low-lying coastal developing countries for loss and damage arising from sea level rise.” (Mace and Shaeffer, 2013). According to the proposal, this global “loss-sharing” scheme was to be funded by assessed mandatory contributions from Annex I Parties. The principle that states should not impose harm on others through economic activities within their jurisdiction or control is well-established in international law. However, it leaves largely unresolved some highly contentious and complex practical issues concerning the definition of damage, the standard of care, and the level of liability that should be applied to the culpable state(s). It is not surprising, therefore, that the AOSIS proposal proved too controversial and was not incorporated into the UNFCCC agreement in 1992. The issue of L&D has re-emerged in recent years and is now gaining significant attention. In fact, unlike adaptation, which took almost a decade to be fully incorporated into UNFCCC negotiations, the issue of L&D gained real traction over a relatively short period of time. This is largely explained by the failure of Parties to reduce their GHG emissions in line with the goal of keeping the global temperature increase to less than 2o c, thus increasing the likelihood of dangerous climate change and irreversible damage affecting the most vulnerable populations. Other relevant factors include the extreme weather events of the last decade, the IPCC’s Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) in 2011, and the decades of work that have gone into understanding adaptation and its limitations. Several studies, including IPCC AR4, have suggested that L&D occurs because of the limits of adaptation, and also because residual damage costs2 far exceed adaptation costs in all time frames – near-, medium-, and long-term (de Bruin et al., 2009; p.22). This crucially implies that both L&D and adaptation need urgent treatment. Several Parties to the Convention, thus, proposed that adaptation work stream cannot cater to the needs of countries facing such costly loss and damages. Building on the foundations laid in COP13 (2007) and extensive work done in the intervening years, COP16 (2010) established a work programme on L&D under SBI of UNFCCC, the elements of which were decided from COP17 (2011) to COP18 (2012). Following this progress, COP19 (2013) established the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM), under the Cancun Adaptation Framework, subject to review at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties (Decision 2/CP.19, para.1). The role of the new Mechanism was to enhance knowledge and information sharing, strengthen dialogue, and enhance action (Decision 2/CP.19, para.5). WIM also established (Decision 2/CP.19, para.2) an Executive Committee (ExCom) to guide the implementation of these functions and to report annually to the COP through SBSTA and SBI. The initial meeting of the ExCom of the WIM was held in Bonn from 25 to 28 March, 2014. A second formal meeting followed in Bonn from 16-18 September, 2014. The ExCom adopted a two-year work plan as the first step in operationalizing WIM, which will be delivered to Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) of UNFCCC for consideration at COP20, in Lima. The action areas in this work plan include: ▪ Enhancing knowledge and understanding of comprehensive risk management approaches, including the identification of gaps or development of methodologies to be used by national governments; ▪ Enhancing data, knowledge, and response measures concerning non-economic losses associated with climate change, including slow-onset events such as sea-level rise or glacial melt. The latest meeting of the ExCom took place in September 2014 in Bonn, where further progress in outlining specific activities and timeliness was made. Currently, there is little clarity on the means of implementation, which include financial, technological, and capacity building support.act2015.org/ACT_2015_Options_for_Adaptation_and_Loss_&_Damage.pdf
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 13:04:05 +0000
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