Page - 9 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

1 Science forLossandDamage.FindingsandPropositions 9 Theschemewas intended tocompensate small island-and low-lyingdeveloping nationsforclimate-relatedimpactsfromsea-levelrise(Linnerooth-Bayeretal.2003; AOSIS 2008; see the chapters by Schäfer et al. 2018 and Linnerooth-Bayer et al. 2018).While the proposal was eventually dropped, discussions on compensation and insuranceasameans toaddress theadverseeffectsof climatechangeprevailed with expertworkshops convened in 2003 and 2007 on the basis ofCOPdecisions 5/CP 7 and 1/CP 10 and COP13 started to consider means to address Loss and Damage (MaceandVerheyen2016). In 2008,AOSIS submitted an expanded version of the 1991proposal to theAd HocWorkingGrouponLong-termCooperativeActionundertheConvention(AWG- LCA).ThisMultiWindowMechanism toAddress Loss andDamage fromClimate Change Impacts in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other developing countries particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change comprised three interdependent components: (1) insurance; (2) rehabilitation/compensation; and (3) riskmanagement(AOSIS2008).Theideaofan“internationalmechanismaddressing riskmanagementandriskreductionstrategiesandinsurancerelatedrisksharingand risk transfermechanisms”was reiterated a year later in theAOSIS proposal for a CopenhagenProtocol (UNFCCC2009). Afterlossesanddamageswerementionedinthe2007BaliActionPlan(UNFCCC 2007), the 2010CancunAdaptationFramework (UNFCCC2010) initiated formal UNFCCCactivitiesontheissuewiththeestablishmentofanadhocworkprogramme (UNFCCC2011).The latterwasmeant toadvance technicalworkonL&Din three thematicareasover thecourseof2011and2012: (1)assessing the riskofL&Dand thecurrent knowledgeon the same; (2)proposinga rangeof approaches toaddress L&Dfrombothextremeandslowonsetevents, takingintoconsiderationexperience at all levels; and (3)determining the roleof theConvention inenhancing the imple- mentationofapproaches toaddressL&D(UNFCCC2012).Since its inception, the workprogrammehasconductedseveralcallsforsubmissionsaskingparties(national government representatives)andobservers (otherorganisationsattendingUNFCCC meetings) for input on specific questions. These calls gave parties, observers and non-admittedorganisationstheopportunitytolayout theirviewsonthematic issues, institutionalquestions,governancearrangementsandsuggestionsonhowtotakethe L&Dworkprogrammeforward. As part of theDohaClimateGateway in 2012, the Parties decided to establish institutionalarrangements toaddressL&DatCOP19.This laid thegroundworkfor the creation of theWIM, that is charged to “address loss and damage associated with impactsof climatechange, includingextremeevents andslowonset events, in developingcountries thatareparticularlyvulnerabletotheadverseeffectsofclimate change”(UNFCCC2013,para1).COP19alsoestablishedanExecutiveCommittee (ExCom) to guide the implementation of functions of theWIM through an initial 2-yearworkplan.AdistinctL&Darticle in theParisAgreement (UNFCCC2015, Article8)atCOP21meantfurtherrecognitionforL&DandtheWIM,andarguably, institutional anchoringwithin theUNFCCCarchitecture. The action areas forworkunder theWIMhavebeenbroadanddiverse, ranging in scope and focus.Action areas include considering particularly vulnerable coun-