Loss and Damage

Isole Marshall

“We will not go silently to our watery graves”: How to save a nation from drowning

The Marshall Islands, a nation of low-lying atolls threatened by rising sea levels, is facing an existential crisis. Yet, amidst this adversity, the Marshallese people are not only adapting to climate change but also charting a path for survival. Drawing inspiration from their rich maritime heritage, the Marshall Islands have developed a groundbreaking National Adaptation Plan for Survival (NAP). This plan, unveiled at COP28, outlines a comprehensive strategy for addressing the climate crisis over the next century.

COP28 | MASSIMO TAVONI. “Science points to a loss and damage fund of several hundred billion USD”

The loss and damage fund has been established, and initial pledges have been made, but how much money should be directed into it and how should it be organized? Massimo Tavoni, director of the CMCC-RFF European Institute on Economics and the Environment, explains how climate-economic science and modeling can support the loss and damage debate. The latest evidence indicates that an adequate fund should be in the order of [140-822] USD billion and that it should differ from existing funding arrangements used for mitigation and adaptation.

COP28 | ELISA CALLIARI: The vulnerability issue at the heart of the loss and damage fund

With the agreement reached on the first day of the COP28 UN Summit on the loss and damage fund, decisions were adopted about the beneficiaries, the donors, and how the fund will be structured and governed. The CMCC and IIASA researcher Elisa Calliari, member of the Italian Delegation to the UNFCCC, sheds light on one of the hot topics of COP28 and points out the issues that still have to be defined in the negotiations around ‘loss and damage’.

“The effects are greater than the cause.” Media reactions to COP27 outcomes

What a difference between the Global South and Developed Countries. In the COP27 aftermath, media analyses range from applause to disappointment, from those who call it a momentous decision to those that signal the use of ambiguous new language. Barbados and U.S., Brazil and EU passing through Pakistan, UK, India, China and South Africa, a collection of media coverage of the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan.

Adelle Thomas: Putting the most vulnerable at the centre of COP27

“It’s a trend: record-breaking hurricanes are not isolated episodes, extreme events are increasing in intensity and negative impacts are being experienced by the most vulnerable”. For Small Island Developing States, loss and damage is the key issue at the upcoming UNFCCC conference: IPCC author and director of the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Research Centre, Adelle Thomas, explains why and provides insight on science, policy and implementation of adaptation strategies.