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196 F.SimlingerandB.Mayer
2-yearworkplanwas followedbya“five-year rollingworkplan”adoptedatCOP22
(UNFCCC2016,Decision3/CP.22).
TheinclusionofanarticleonL&DintheParisAgreementwasanotherambiguous
concession to developing states. ThroughArticle 8, theParties of theParisAgree-
ment “recognize the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and
damage…and the roleof sustainabledevelopment in reducing the riskof loss and
damage” (ParisAgreement, art. 8(1)). It places theWIMunder the “authority and
guidance” of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties
to the Paris Agreement (Paris Agreement, art. 8(2)). It also highlights some areas
of cooperation and facilitation such as on “early warning systems,” “emergency
preparedness,” “slow onset events” and “events that may involve irreversible and
permanent loss and damage” (Paris Agreement, art. 8(4)). Yet, Article 8 does not
imply any substantive international legal obligation beyond a vague statement that
theParties“should enhanceunderstanding,actionandsupport…asappropriate,on
a cooperative and facilitate basiswith respect to loss and damage associatedwith
the adverse effects of climate change” (Paris Agreement, art. 8(3)). In that sense,
Article 8of theParisAgreement does not really go further thanArticle 4(4) of the
UNFrameworkConventiononClimateChange.
Even such provision, however,was only inserted in the treaty after hard-fought
negotiationsandwasaccompaniedbyacaveat.COP21,initsdecisionontheadoption
of theParisAgreement, asserted that “Article 8of theAgreement does not involve
or provide a basis for any liability or compensation” (UNFCCC 2015, Decision
1/CP.21,para.51).ThelegalnatureofCOPdecisionshasbeendiscussedextensively
byscholars (seee.g.MaceandVerheyen2016;Verheyen2005:67ff;Brunnée2002;
Gehring2007;ChurchillandUlfstein2000:639).However,itonlystatestheobvious:
nothing inArticle 8 could be taken to imply any liability or compensation, as the
language isweakand theconcepts areundefined.Moreover, it goeswithout saying
that this does not exclude the possible applicability of customary international law
and possible arguments for state liability that stem from an alleged breach of the
no-harmprinciple.
Tenyears after the initiation of aworkstreamonL&D, fewconcrete steps have
been taken. Instead, aworkprogramme led to a 2-yearworkplanwhich led to a 5-
yearrollingworkplan.TheconceptofL&Dbecamemoreprominent ininternational
negotiationsonclimatechangebutnoagreementwas reachedonhowto implement
it.COP21decisionon theadoptionof theParisAgreement requested that theWIM
establisha“clearinghouse for risk transfer”anda“task force…todevelop recom-
mendations for integrated approaches to avert,minimize and address displacement
relatedtotheadverseimpactsofclimatechange”(UNFCCC2015,decision1/CP.21,
paras.48and49).ThesedevelopmentssuggestagrowingroleoftheWIMinsharing
goodpracticesandissuingrecommendations,ratherthanprovidingcompensation.It
maythusreplicatetheevolutionoftheconceptofadaptationininternationalnegotia-
tionsonclimatechange,fromclaimsforremediesforthewrongscausedbyexcessive
greenhousegas emissions in industrialised states, to a regimeof international over-
sightonnationalmeasuressupportedonlyverypartiallybyinsufficient international
financial support.
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