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24 R.Mechler et al.
damages(NELD)suchastohumanhealthandlives,butalsolossesofculturalidentity
andsacredplaces.TheissueofNELD,whichhasgarneredsubstantialattentioninthe
discourse, but is generally not accounted for in standardDRRapproaches, implies
a need for well considering its twomain characteristics, context-dependence and
incommensurability (Serdeczny2018).
Understandingandactingonclimate risks is intricately linked to justiceandeth-
ical considerations. Justiceand fairness issueshaveplayedakey role in theclimate
change policy and academic discourse since the beginning of the UNFCCC pro-
cess–most prominently through the distributive justice principle of “common but
differentiated responsibilities” (UNFCCC 1992). These considerations also come
intoplaywhencontemplatingissuesofcompensatory justiceduetotheunequaldis-
tributionofhistoricalandcurrentgreenhousegasemissions, theadversedistribution
of impactsbetween theglobalNorth andSouth, and theunderstanding that climate
change is projected to lead to unavoidable andpotentially irrecoverable losses and
damages (chapter byWallimann-Helmer et al. 2018). Building on risk and justice
principles, Schinkoet al. 2018proposeadistinctL&Dpolicyaction space that can
be identified by aligning a needs-based, distributive justice perspective, proposing
support for transformativeclimateriskmanagementbeyondadaptationpossibilities,
with a compensatory justice perspectivewhich upholds considerations for curative
optionsfor liabilitiesattributable toanthropogenicclimatechange(seealsoMechler
andSchinko2016).
Interestingly,bothtypesofprinciplesandpolicyactionsarealreadyseeingsome,
ifincipient,attentiontoday.Transformativeriskmanagement isincreasinglydebated
in theL&Ddiscourse,and involves issuessuchasofferingalternative livelihoods to
thosethatarebeingaffected(e.g.,switchingfromsmallholderfarmingtoservicesec-
toremployment)andassistingwithvoluntarymigrationwhereneeded.Optionsunder
this rubric exhibit substantial overlapwith interventions of disaster risk reduction
and adaptation, yetmaybe focussed further on avoiding andmanaging intolerable
risks that touchonhardandsoft limits. Insuranceapplications, amainstayofpolicy
attention,e.g., throughtheG20/V20InsuResilienceinitiative(InsuResilience2017),
caninprinciplebeausefulentrypoint for tacklingtransformation;yet,cautionmust
beexercisedabout commercial insuranceproducts that place the full burdenon the
mostvulnerable.Premiumsupport in the formofsubsidiesand technical assistance
canpotentially transform insurance into amechanism thatmeets the aspirations of
the L&D discussions. Insurance options furthermore hold additional potential by
serving as a concept and tool for exploring themagnitude and locations of adapta-
tion frontiers, “socio-ecological system’s transitional…operating spaces between
safe andunsafedomains” (Prestonet al. 2014) (see chapters bySchäfer et al. 2018
andLinnerooth-Bayeret al. 2018).
Complementingtransformativeriskmanagement, largelyappropriateforsudden-
onset impactsandrisks,witheffortsfordealingwithslow-onsetevents, thespacefor
curativemeasures overlaps to someextentwith demands for compensation,which
have been ruled out by the Paris Agreement, but not from the debate in general
(see chapters by Simlinger andMayer 2018; Schinko et al. 2018). In addition to
policyproposalsinthedomainofinsurance,essentiallyapre-arrangedcompensation
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Title
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Subtitle
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Publisher
- Springer Open
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 580
- Keywords
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Categories
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima