Loss and Damage Fund: the need for climate impact metrics

Authors: Dr Frederike Otto, Dr Joyce Kimutai, Jennifer Bird and Dr Caterina Brandmayr

Media enquiries: grantham.media@imperial.ac.uk  
Policy enquiries: j.bird@imperial.ac.uk 

The Loss and Damage Fund that was established at COP27 is intended to provide financial assistance to nations that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While there is a general understanding that “loss and damage” refers to the negative consequences that arise from unavoidable risks of climate change, there is not yet a formally agreed definition of the term. Similarly, there are no agreed metrics that can be used to identify and measure loss and damage when it happens.

This background briefing explores what type of metrics are needed and the role of attribution science in loss and damage.

Key points

• There are no formally agreed metrics that can be used to measure the impacts of human-induced climate change now and in the future, hindering loss and damage and adaptation assessments. For this reason, adaptation is not adequately addressed in the just-concluded 1st Global Stocktake (GST) cycle. The IPCC should set up a task force on climate impact metrics to address this gap.
• There is a lack of robust climate and impacts data and research in many of the countries that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This particularly hampers efforts to assess climate change impacts on extreme weather in those places and also hinders the development of robust adaptation action.
• The development of climate change attribution science means that it is now possible in many cases to demonstrate a causal relationship between extreme weather events and human-caused climate change. However, there are limits to what is possible and it is essential that eligibility criteria for the Loss and Damage Fund are designed with this in mind. If the evidentiary bar is set too high, the Fund will not be able to deliver on its aim to assist vulnerable countries in dealing with the worst impacts of climate change.