Publications

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOSE? UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONDING TO CLIMATE-INDUCED LOSS OF LIFE AND HEALTH

BY ARCHIE GILMOUR, SHANDELLE STEADMAN AND MICHAI ROBERTSON
31 / 10 / 2023
Image credit: Children play on the high ground above flood damage – Toto Santiko Budi (published by ODI)

Loss and damage due to climate change extends far beyond what is easily quantified in economic terms. So-called ‘non-economic loss and damage’ – what the late Saleemul Huq called human and ecosystem losses – extend to our life and health, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and more. This paper looks at loss and damage to cultural heritage – the traditions, beliefs, and achievements that we have inherited from the past. It unpicks some of the ways in which climate change can affect traditional ways of life, tangible and intangible heritage, using case studies from the Arctic, the Pacific and the Sahel, and the impacts these losses can have on individuals and communities. It evaluates different methods of valuing and measuring losses. Finally, the paper explores some of the possible responses to loss and damage, like averting and minimising it - and how this overlaps with adaptation and lessons from the field of heritage management - as well as addressing it once it has happened.

Read the full paper here: