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66 L.M.Bouwer
to impacts suchfromslow-onsetevents. Informationonextremeweather impacts is
available in observation databases on past disasters collected by humanitarian and
developmentorganisationsandresearch institutes.Also, recordsofmonetary losses
fromextremeweatherarecollectedbytheinsuranceandreinsuranceindustry. In the
disastersandclimateresearchcommunity, thepatternsandtrends in thesedatabases
have been studied extensively, and therefore several analyses are available in the
academic literature onobserved impacts formany locations around theworld, and
theseanalysesarediscussed in this chapter.
With regard to climate losses and damages, the question iswhether the records
ofobserveddisaster losses arefit for thepurposeof comprehensivemonitoringand
analysing losses anddamages fromclimate change.Gall (2015) provides a critical
review in this respect, and concluded that the scope of these databases needs to
be broadened, in particular with respect to slow-onset events, and include other
impacts besides direct economic losses, such as indirect impacts and losses.While
notexhaustive, thedisaster loss recordsprovideat thismoment thebestopportunity
toassessandmonitorchangesinsocioeconomicimpacts,atleastforextremeweather
andclimatechange.
In addition, many studies have projected future changes in risk from extreme
weatherevents, for thepurposeofdisaster riskreductionplanningandclimateadap-
tation.These studies also take into account future changes inhazard, exposure and
vulnerability, on thebasis ofphysicalmodellingandscenarios (Bouwer2013), and
therefore serve to indicatewhat impacts are expected for thenear andmoredistant
future, that could informLossandDamagediscussions.
Asshowninotherchapterssuchas thecontributionbyJamesetal. (2018),wider
definitionsandviewpointsonLossandDamagecanincludetheimpactsfrompresent-
dayclimate,sowithoutmuchinfluenceofclimatechange.Thisimpliesthatlossesand
damages could also include impacts fromextremeweather that are not attributable
toanthropogenicclimatechange,butsimplyto(baseline)riskthatoccursbecauseof
occurrenceofextremeweather.This riskhasoccurredalways, regardlessofclimate
change,oroccursbecauseofnaturalvariabilityor increasedexposureofpeopleand
capital. In this context, understandingpresent-day risks fromextremeweather, and
understanding theroleofdriversofchanges in that risk, is important fordiscussions
onLoss andDamage.These drivers and theway they are understood to determine
risk,ultimatelyalsodetermine the scopeof lossesanddamages fromtheseextreme
events.
ThereseemstobesomeagreementthattheLossandDamagedebatereferstoresid-
ualimpacts,i.e.afteradaptation(“lossesbeyondadaptation”)(seeJamesetal.2018).
Also, losses anddamagescan refer to actual impacts that havealreadyoccurred, as
well as potential future risks of further impacts and damages (see introduction by
Mechler et al. 2018).
In this context, all drivers ofweather related risks shouldbe considered.This is
because non-climatic drivers of risk (influencing exposure, and vulnerability)may
consciously(throughadaptation)orunconsciouslybeinfluenced,asforinstancewith
increasingdevelopmentandwealthysocietiesbecomebetterprotectedfromextreme
weatherhazards.
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Titel
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Untertitel
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Autoren
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Verlag
- Springer Open
- Datum
- 2019
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Abmessungen
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Seiten
- 580
- Schlagwörter
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Kategorien
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima