Loss and damage: livelihood resilience
This policy brief frames the key challenge of climate change Loss and Damage (L&D), based on extensive research on the impacts of climatic stressors in vulnerable countries. It then introduces the Resilience Academy, highlighting five key insights that both feed the debate and inform action, followed by five recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM ExCom) for its five-year work plan. This body of research has generated insights that feed the L&D dialogue and inform action plans in the context of the Paris Agreement.
Key insights of the Resilience Academy that have strong policy implications are summarized here:
- Enhance livelihood resilience to minimize Loss and Damage;
- Do not ignore the role of Loss and Damage to ecosystem services;
- Enhance understanding of social and cultural constraints to adaptation disaster preparedness;
- Identify ways to avoid erosive coping; and
- Engage with islands States or other vulnerable constituents as champions of action.
The following recommendations for the WIM EXCOM are made:
- Engage the Science Community – Natural and social scientists have much to offer but need to be mobilized to inform policy;
- Give orientation through the structure of the work plan;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of national and sub-national mechanisms to address Loss and Damage;
- Ensure that policies and recommendations are ‘fit for purpose’ in serving the poor and those most vulnerable to Loss and Damage; and
- Provide reflection and impulse to other UN agencies and international organizations.
This policy brief is No. 10 in a series.