Page - 199 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

7 LegalResponses toClimateChange… 199 thebehaviourof states isnotonlymotivatedbybinding, enforceable law.So-called soft law, i.e. law that is not legally binding, has often proved to bemore effective thanbinding,enforceable international law.Althoughthepaceof theprogressof the WIMworkstreamcanbe frustrating, it shows that the issueofL&Disbeingpicked upby thepoliticalbodies. Previous treatiesand institutionshavedevelopedfrompoliticalbodiesandstren- uousnegotiations—thisevolutionmightalsocometruefor the issueofL&D.More- over, it seemsthateffortsat thenational levelsare increasing.While theoverwhelm- ing amount of the cases have been dismissed, it shows that public awareness is increasing.Mostly, it is not the science that is failing, it is the politicalwill of the states. Understandably, what they fear is escalating responsibility for historic and presentemissions.However,Gsottbaueretal.(2017)arguethataliabilityregimecan undercertaincircumstances indeedpromoteprecaution topreventL&D.Moreover, law is flexible and can be adapted to the specific concerns of the states—provided thereispoliticalwill tonegotiation(seealsoLees2016).Thus,whilelegalresponses toclimatechange inducedL&Dmightnotbeasclearnow, theyprobablywill beat a laterpoint in time. References Articles,BooksandReports BodanskyD (1993)Theunited nations framework conventionon climate change: a commentary. Yale J IntLaw18(2):451–558 BrunnéeJ(2002)COPingwithconsent: law-makingundermultilateralenvironmentalagreements. LeidenJ IntLaw15(1):1–52 Buchner B, Herve-Mignucci M, Trabacchi C,Wilkinson J, StadelmannM, Boyd R, Mazza F, FalconerA,MicaleV(2015)Global landscapeofclimatefinance2015.ClimatePolicy Institute Calliari E, Surminski S,Mysiak J (2018) The Politics of (and behind) the UNFCCC’s loss and damagemechanism. In:Mechler R, Bouwer L, Schinko T, Surminski S, Linnerooth-Bayer J (eds) Loss and damage fromclimate change. Concepts,methods and policy options. Springer, Cham,pp155–178 CaracasDeclaration(1989)Specialministerialmeetingof thegroupofSeventy-seven,paras. II-34 ChapmanM(2010)Climatechangeand the regional human rights systems.SustainDevelopLaw Policy10(2):37–38 ChurchillRR,UlfsteinG(2000)Autonomousinstitutionalarrangementsinmultilateralagreements. AmJIntLaw94(4):623–659 ETOConsortium(2013)Maastrichtprinciplesonextraterritorialobligationsofstates in theareaof economic, social andcultural rights FrankW,BalsC,GrimmJ (2018) The case ofHuaraz: first climate lawsuit on loss and damage againstanenergycompanybeforeGermancourts.In:MechlerR,BouwerL,SchinkoT,Surminski S,Linnerooth-BayerJ(eds)Lossanddamagefromclimatechange.Concepts,methodsandpolicy options.Springer,Cham,pp475–482 Gehring T (2007) Treaty-making and treaty evolution. In: Brunnee J, HeyE, BodanskyD (eds) The oxford handbook of international environmental law.OxfordUniversity Press,Oxford, pp 467–497