Page - 4 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

4 R.Mechler et al. “Warsaw InternationalMechanism forLoss andDamage”was established in 2013 and further supported through theParisAgreement in 2015.Despite advances, the debate currently is broad, diffuse and somewhat confusing,while concepts,meth- ods and tools, as well as directions for policy remain vague and often contested. Thisbook, a joint effort of theLoss andDamageNetwork—apartnership effort by scientistsandpractitioners fromaroundtheglobe—providesevidence-basedinsight into the L&Ddiscourse by highlighting state-of-the-art research conducted across multipledisciplines,byshowcasingapplicationsinpracticeandbyprovidinginsight intopolicycontextsandsalientpolicyoptions.Thisintroductorychaptersummarises key findings of the twenty-two book chapters in terms of five propositions. These propositions, each building on relevant findings linked to forward-looking sugges- tions for research, policy and practice, reflect the architecture of the book, whose sections proceed from setting the stage to critical issues, followed by a section on methodsand tools, tochapters thatprovidegeographicperspectives, andfinally toa section that identifies potential policy options. The propositions comprise (1)Risk management can be an effective entry point for aligning perspectives and debates, if framed comprehensively, coupledwith climate justice considerations and linked to established riskmanagement and adaptation practice; (2)Attribution science is advancing rapidly and fundamental to informing actions to minimise, avert, and address lossesanddamages; (3)Climatechange research, inaddition to identifying physical/hard limits toadaptation,needs tomoresystematicallyexaminesoft limits toadaptation, forwhichwefindsomeevidenceacrossseveralgeographiesglobally; (4) Climate risk insurancemechanisms can serve the prevention and cure aspects emphasisedintheL&Ddebatebutsolidarityandaccountabilityaspectsneedfurther attention,forwhichwefindtentativeindicationinapplicationsaroundtheworld;(5) Policy deliberationsmay need to overcome the perception that L&Dconstitutes a win-losenegotiation“game”bydevelopingamoreinclusivenarrativethathighlights collectiveambitionfor tacklingrisks,mutualbenefitsandtheroleof transformation. Keywords Science ·Policy ·Practice ·Climate justice ·Limits toadaptation Climate riskmanagement ·Transformation 1.1 Understandingand Reviewing the Evidence for AdvancingScienceandPolicy ThedebateonLossandDamage(L&D)1hasgainedtractionover the last fewyears. AlthoughthediscoursestartedalreadyduringtheestablishmentoftheUnitedNations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the early 1990s with a proposal by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) on compensation and 1Inthischapterandinthebookthroughout,wewillusethepluralformandlowercaseletters(‘losses and damages’) to refer broadly to (observed) impacts and (projected) risks, and the capitalized singular form(‘Loss&Damage’)where reference ismade to thepolicydebate.