Pushed to the limit: evidence of climate change-related loss and damage when people face constraints and limits to adaptation

Loss and damage in vulnerable countries initiative, volume 2:

This report addresses the climate negotiations in Warsaw, Poland, and the related mandate to establish institutional arrangements to address loss and damage associated with the impacts of climate change. It offers empirical evidence of loss and damage from the perspective of affected people in nine vulnerable countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Micronesia, Mozambique and Nepal). The research reveals how climatic stressors affect communities, what measures households take to prevent loss and damage, and what the consequences are when they are unable to adjust sufficiently.

The sites were selected to cover a wide range of ecosystems, geographic regions (drylands, mountains, a small island, a delta) and climatic stressors (droughts, floods, cyclones, sea-level rise, glacial melt, desertification, changing rainfall patterns) as well as dependence of livelihoods on climate conditions (e.g. rainfed agriculture, fishing, herding). Other important considerations included exploring cross-cutting issues related to climate stressors, such as food production, human and livelihood security, social justice and cohesion, and human mobility. Each case study attempted to answer the same research question, while focusing on different climatic stressors and societal impacts.

The report is intended to provide evidence that will help underpin policy and operational discussions under the UN Framework on Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), which aims to contribute to the formulation of the anticipated international climate agreement at COP21 (Paris, December 2015).