Abstract
Non-economic Loss and Damage (NELD) forms a distinct theme in the documents outlining both the initial 2-year workplan that concluded in 2017 and the future work areas as outlined in the next 5-year rolling workplan of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM Excom). NELD refers to the climate-related losses of items both material and non-material that are not commonly traded in the market, but whose loss is still experienced as such by those affected. Examples of NELD include loss of cultural identity, sacred places, human health and lives. Within the context of the WIM the goal is to raise awareness of the kinds of NELD that occur and, for an expert group, to “develop inputs and recommendations to enhance data on and knowledge of reducing the risk of and addressing non-economic losses” (UNFCCC Secretariat 2014). Initial analysis shows that the two main characteristics of non-economic values are their context-dependence and their incommensurability. These attributes need to be preserved and respected when integrating measures to (i) avoid the risk and (ii) address NELD by a central mechanism under the UNFCCC. While (i) will rely on integrating NELD into existing comprehensive risk management approaches, (ii) requires thorough understanding of lost values and the functions they fulfilled for those affected.
Highlights
Climate change affects people and their environments in multiple adverse ways
The concept of Non-economic Loss and Damage (NELD) spans a wide range of adverse effects of climate change that affect both human wellbeing and natural systems
Some of these effects are standardly considered in public policies on climate change while others remain less well reflected
Summary
Climate change affects people and their environments in multiple adverse ways. Extreme heat waves like the Central Asian one in 2010 damage agricultural crops and undermine food security (Barriopedro et al 2011); sea-level rise endangers coastal infrastructure and related economic activities such as tourism and transport The disruption of informal networks as a consequence of migration can cause losses in the form of a populations diminished capacity to cope with continued climate impacts, further increasing the toll of climate change (Olsson et al 2014) The effects of such often intangible losses on human wellbeing are often hard to measure and are rarely included in estimates of observed and projected climate impacts, where aggregates are sought. The fact that values other than economic are of substantive importance for people is evidenced in livelihood decisions that involve trade-offs to the benefit of retaining social or cultural capital at the cost of potential economic gains An example of such decisions are cases where migration is desisted despite its expected positive effects on income (Bebbington 1999). Addressing unavoided losses, in turn, raises questions of justice and questions of fair remedy (Wallimann-Helmer 2015) that require further critical academic debate but whose solutions need to be politically negotiated
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