By: Dr. Manu Gupta

Climate change is intensifying, and global strategies have largely focused on cutting emissions (mitigation) and helping communities adapt to new risks (adaptation). However, much more needs to be done. Communities in vulnerable regions, particularly in the Global South, are experiencing damages that neither mitigation nor adaptation can address. The impacts of extreme weather events now lead to irreversible losses—of people, homes, infrastructure, livelihoods, and ecosystems—that demand urgent attention under the loss and damage framework.

Why Loss and Damage is Critical and Distinct from Adaptation

While adaptation focuses on future climate risks, loss and damage address irreversible impacts that communities are currently facing- destruction that adaptation cannot prevent. For example, when Cyclone Amphan struck India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in 2020, it led to extensive property damage and significant challenges for coastal communities, including long-term disruptions to livelihoods in fishing and agriculture. Four years later, the challenges persist, as seen in the 2024 Wayanad landslides in Kerala (a coastal state in southern India). The landslides led to a devastating toll, with over 400 lives lost and irreversible damage to agricultural land and homes, as entire villages were buried under debris, displacing countless families and leaving communities with lasting scars. Meanwhile, in Ladakh (a high-altitude region in northern India), glacier melt has disrupted traditional farming practices, while severe riverbank erosion on Majuli Island (the world’s largest river island in Assam’s Brahmaputra River) is erasing land, leaving families without homes or livelihoods.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, India ranks as the seventh vulnerable country to climate change, facing extreme weather events causing significant damages exceeding $56 billion from 2019 to 2023. More than 80% of the population lives in districts highly prone to floods, droughts, and storms, underscoring the nation’s exposure to severe and lasting climate impacts.

Globally, Pacific Island nations confront the disappearance of entire communities due to rising sea levels, and East African countries are experiencing prolonged droughts that decimate agricultural productivity and threaten food security. Notably, 19 of the top 25 climate-vulnerable states are grappling with compounded risks from fragility, conflict, and climate change, making them highly susceptible to disasters. These urgent scenarios underscore the need for a focus on loss and damage as a critical part of climate action.

While adaptation is proactive—helping communities prepare for future risks—loss and damage are reactive, addressing irreversible impacts like species extinction and land loss. This distinction is essential, as loss and damage often demand international support, whereas adaptation efforts can sometimes be managed locally.

COP29: A Turning Point for Climate Compensation

The loss and damage debate centres on climate justice—the concept that nations with the highest emissions should compensate those bearing severe climate impacts. At COP27, developing countries achieved a major breakthrough by establishing a Loss and Damage Fund (LDF). COP28 built on this progress, activating the LDF with an initial pledge of over $400 million—an amount far from sufficient given the recurring and extreme nature of climate-induced disasters. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that developing nations may need $290 billion to $580 billion annually by 2030 to address climate-induced losses.

The urgency grows as climate impacts not only cause physical destruction but also disrupt essential services, livelihoods, and natural resources, driving severe social and economic stress. A fully funded LDF is crucial for timely humanitarian aid, supporting communities in their recovery and resilience-building efforts.

At COP29 in Baku, boosting contributions and supporting community-led initiatives are key. One innovative action in this effort is SEEDS’ Akshvi platform, which bridges loss and damage funding with real-time community needs. The Akshvi platform, developed by SEEDS, aims to document losses through an ‘E-Disaster Wallet,’ facilitating transparent and efficient direct digital payments to affected communities. This data informs a larger Loss Data Platform for actionable recovery insights and future disaster prediction. Built on open-source technology, Akshvi has the potential to host over 300 million disaster wallets, facilitating direct digital payments to those in need, transparently and efficiently. This model demonstrates how digital tools can help address loss and damage worldwide, empowering communities and ensuring aid reaches those affected by climate change

Challenges and Pathways for Addressing Loss and Damage

Despite the critical importance of addressing loss and damage, several challenges hinder progress at the international level. Financing remains a significant hurdle, as wealthy countries have expressed concerns about long-term financial liabilities, historically resisting calls for dedicated compensation funds, as seen during debates at COP27 and COP28.. Accountability is also an issue; while some climate agreements recognize loss and damage, existing climate agreements lack comprehensive legal frameworks to hold major emitters accountable for the harm caused by historical and ongoing emissions. Additionally, ensuring equitable distribution of funds to the affected and vulnerable populations is complex, with many advocating for a focus on marginalised communities in the Global South.

Addressing loss and damage transcends mere financial compensation; it embodies justice, equity, and solidarity. The climate-affected countries must have a voice in shaping solutions that extend beyond mitigation and adaptation, particularly in securing funds for recovery from irreversible climate impacts. Moreover, the international community must develop accountability frameworks for major emitters and prioritise equity in fund distribution, ensuring that the vulnerable communities, often those contributing least to global emissions, are adequately supported.

Summary

The time for focusing solely on adaptation and mitigation has passed. As the impacts of climate change grow more severe,Integrating loss and damage as a central pillar of global climate negotiations is essential to addressing the impacts that mitigation and adaptation cannot resolve. COP29 presents a critical moment for world leaders to act, not only to mitigate future harm but also to acknowledge and compensate for the destruction that is already here. Without addressing loss and damage, the global fight against climate change will remain incomplete, leaving the vulnerable to bear the burden of a crisis they did not create.

Published by: Annie P.