Climate Justice Dimensions:Approaching Loss and Damage and Adaptation towards a Just City

The escalating occurrence of severe climatic events over the past decade,with a projection for further intensification due to the climate emergency,underscores the critical role of urban and regional planning in climate action towards just cities.Municipalities and regions are both significant contributors to CO_(2)emissions and are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.This paper contends that urban and regional planning must undergo a paradigm shift to address this challenge.Climate justice,encompassing dimensions of inequality and environmental equity,is a pivotal dialogue in these contexts.Through a comprehensive review,this study contributes to the evolving landscape of climate justice planning and policy,offering insights that could resonate across the Global South and beyond.As an illustrative case,the authors delve into Brazil’s climate challenges,discussing adaptation planning and post-disaster response,and emphasizing the need for localized and community-driven initiatives.This article delves into the interplay between Loss and Damage,adaptation,and just cities,with a focus on the Global South.The authors scrutinize the emerging discourse on Loss and Damage,its associations with climate impacts,and the quest for a just and equitable approach.The work advances the understanding of the distinction between adaptation and Loss and Damage actions,highlighting the significance of a dedicated fund for addressing Loss and Damage in vulnerable countries.

Remedies for loss and damage caused by climate change from the dimension of climate justice

Adverse consequences to the ecological system and human health caused by impacts potentially attributable to climate change have already drawn great and widespread concern of many scientists and international organizations.However,we still have a hard time determining exactly the impact of climate change on the environment or the damage that climate change inflicts on countries comprising small islands or low-lying lands in light of today's science and technology.The progress for dealing with the issue of loss and damage has been struggling for a long time from the beginning to the present.In this paper,the author begins by summarizing talks on the concept and the positions of commentators.The author is proposing that the development of future climate negotiations and rule-making process be based on global climate justice as a standard for measuring value.Also,the author proposes that a holistic view of climate justice be established.Generally,three aspects of climate justice can be derived.First,the dimension of human rights protection shows that protection of fundamental human rights is a logical precondition if small-island and low-lying countries are able to achieve climate justice.Second,the definite and traditional concepts of distributive justice and corrective justice hold the view that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be upheld as a basic standard of allocating rights and duties associated with climate change.Third,climate justice requires that any state follow the "no-harm principle," which is regarded as an international customary rule.According to the principle,the obligation of states to prevent the use of their territory for causing trans-boundary harm to the environment shall be a violation of state responsibility,which incurs international punishment.Then we put forward three remedial approaches in light of climate justice,including the approach of State Responsibility(SR) based on the principles and rules of international human rights law and international environmental law.Based on clear rules,the judge can determine whether the damaging behavior or the damage perpetrated by a state party constitutes a state responsibility.The International Environmental Regulation(IEB),which means solving the problems within the framework established by the Conventions on Climate Change,takes advantage of the market mechanisms and incentives such as fund and insurance support system to relieve or compensate the loss and damage.International Environmental Dispute Settlement Mechanism(IEDSM),which includes the means such as consultations,negotiations,nonmandatory ways and international arbitration,international judicial ways to solve these disputes,functions as a procedural safeguard.As an active promoter of global climate governance,China should no doubt stand by the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibility(CBDR) and take it as a basis for negotiations,actively strengthen the work of South-South cooperation,fulfill her international climate commitments without reservation,vigorously develop a low-carbon economy,and actively promote international negotiations on the subject of loss and damage.

Challenges and countermeasures for developing countries in addressing loss and damage caused by climate change

Loss and damage caused by extreme climate events have attracted increasing attention.The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(hereinafter referred to as the Convention)has agreed to adopt Loss and Damage Fund agreement,which identified the source of funding and the funds to be entrusted to the World Bank.However,there is still ambiguous that how to allocate the funds could accelerate the effectiveness of meeting the needs for developing countries.Pre-disaster prevention and preparedness is one of the most effective measures to deal with loss and damage,which closely related to adaptation.Previous studies rarely analyzed quantitatively the financial needs of pre-disaster prevention and preparedness relating to adaptation to reduce loss and damage.Based on the official reports submitted by countries under the Convention,this study analyzes the annual change in the total financial support provided by developed countries to developing countries,the proportion of pre-disaster prevention and preparedness in the adaptation needs of developing countries,and the progress in raising the current annual funding target of 100 billion USD for developed countries,to reveal the financial and technical challenges facing by developing countries on addressing loss and damage.The results show that by 2030,the total adaptation financial needs of developing countries are estimated to be about 3.8 trillion USD,of which pre-disaster prevention matters account for about 9%.Therefore,by 2030,developing countries will need about 342 billion USD in pre-disaster prevention and preparedness finance to withstand loss and damage.In addition,developing countries face a lack of technical methods to quantify information about their needs.Based on the above analysis,this study puts forward countermeasures and suggestions,including strengthening the allocation amount of loss and damage fund on pre-disaster warning,prevention and control actions,and establishing track modalities on the finance provided by developed countries to developing countries based on the principles of the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities(CBDR-RC),to provide favorable guarantee for accelerating the effectiveness of international climate governance.

Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal:Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief

The 2014 Jure landslide in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, caused significant loss and damage to ecosystems and livelihoods in the area. In the direct aftermath of the landslide, several disaster loss assessments were conducted, with the aim of counting casualties,injured people, and damaged houses and infrastructure.Although useful and necessary in their own right, such rapid assessments do not reveal the true extent and significance of the losses and damages that people in disaster areas face, including their monetary value. We address this gap, based on a comprehensive household survey(N = 234), as well as other, qualitative research tools. Our results highlight the importance of differentiating between loss and damage in absolute monetary terms as opposed to losses relative to annual income. We find a stark contrast between the high absolute losses incurred by nonpoor households, and the high relative losses—up to 14 times their annual income—experienced by poor households.These results have important implications for policy that addresses loss and damage, not only of landslides but also of other disasters. Loss and damage assessments need to take the livelihood characteristics of affected households into account to identify and support those most in need of compensation and relief.

Exploring Loss and Damage at the International Climate Change Talks

In recent years, there has been a growing need to address loss and damage as a result of climate change through international processes. At the most recent November 2013 international climate change talks in Warsaw, 194 countries negotiated the best way to establish institutional arrangements for loss and damage under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Such a decision to establish these arrangements was made in 2012 in Doha in a decision known as the‘‘Doha Gateway.’’ While the 19th(2013) Conference of the Parties succeeded in delivering the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts, there was concern by some negotiators earlier into the conference that this would never transpire given the staunch disagreements between countries and lobbying blocks on a way forward. This article provides a brief historical overview of loss and damage at the climate change talks, and examines the key discourses defining this issue between 2011 and 2013 by analyzing submissions by lobbying blocks and member countries, and final negotiated texts. These discourses revolve around causality and solutions, compensation, and the relationship between loss and damage and adaptation.

Extreme Weather Loss and Damage Estimation Using a Hybrid Simulation Technique

History has shown that occurrences of extreme weather are becoming more frequent and with greater impact,regardless of one's geographical location.In a risk analysis setting,what will happen,how likely it is to happen,and what are the consequences,are motivating questions searching for answers.To help address these considerations,this study introduced and applied a hybrid simulation model developed for the purpose of improving understanding of the costs of extreme weather events in the form of loss and damage,based on empirical data in the contiguous United States.Model results are encouraging,showing on average a mean cost estimate within 5%of the historical cost.This creates opportunities to improve the accuracy in estimating the expected costs of such events for a specific event type and geographic location.In turn,by having a more credible price point in determining the cost-effectiveness of various infrastructure adaptation strategies,it can help in making the business case for resilience investment.

Loss and Damage as an Alternative to Resilience and Vulnerability?Preliminary Reflections on an Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Discourse

One relatively novel way of assessing the characteristics and limitations of resilience and vulnerability(R&V)is undertaken in this article by investigating a growing alternative paradigm—loss and damage(L&D)policy.The idea of L&D as an emerging policy may be surprising to many in the disaster risk management community,and so we first outline the origins of this trend,and then explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of adopting it.This short article represents our preliminary opinions and observations regarding this reintroduction of a longestablished concept.We also present results from a very brief peer-group survey on some of the first immediate reactions towards L&D policy.At this early stage,this article cannot offer a full-fledged analysis,but our reflections may serve as a starting point to encourage further discussion.

Assessment of climate damage in China based on integrated assessment framework

Developing a localized and consistent model framework for climate loss and damage assessment is crucial for the policy-making of climate change mitigation and adaptation.This study introduces a comprehensive,multidisciplinary Integrated Assessment Model(IAM)framework for evaluating climate damage in China,utilizing BCC-SESM climate model and FUND sectoral climate damage model under the SSP2-RCPs scenario.Employing a bottom-up approach,the research estimates climate damage across eight major sectors,recalibrates sectoral climate damage functions and parameters for China,and elucidates distinctions among direct climate loss,market climate loss,and aggregate climate loss.The findings reveal that the total climate damage function for China follows a quadratic pattern in response to temperature rise.By 2050,the estimated climate damage is projected to be 5.4%,5.7%,and 8.2%of GDP under RCP2.6,RCP4.5,and RCP8.5,respectively.Additionally,both direct and market climate losses are projected to remain below 2%of GDP by 2050,while the aggregate climate loss could reach as high as 8.2%,which is predominantly attributed to non-market sectors.From a sectoral perspective,under the RCP8.5 scenario,human health damage constitutes the largest share(61.9%)of the total climate loss by 2050,followed by sea-level rise damage(18.6%).This study sheds lights on the adaptation policy that should attach importance to the non-market sectors,particularly focusing on human health and sea-level rise.

The Paris Agreement Revisited: Diplomatic Triumphalism or Denial of Climate Justice?

The 2015 Paris COP 21, after the failure of the 2009 Copenhagen COP, raised many expectations regarding the elaboration of the post-Kyoto legal instrument to lead the global fight against climate change. At the sunset of the summit, world leaders and climate negotiators, relayed by mainstream Medias, presented the results of the Paris climate discussions as an important success for the global climate community. A success contested by climate justice and just transition defenders. Given the foundation role the Paris agreement plays for subsequent global, national and sub-national climate policies on one side and, on the other side, the continuous growing global demands for climate justice and just transition, this article investigates the conciliatory possibilities put in place by the agreement to advance those demands. To reach such goals, the article focuses on the retrospective critical reading of the agreement in the light of human-centered climate perspectives such as climate justice and just transition, without neglecting other aspects related to the very nature of the agreement, and the enhanced commodification of nature and resulting carbon trading. This analysis of the agreement through climate justice lenses will be instrumental in confirming or disproving the following hypothesis: From the climate justice and just transition perspectives, the success of the Paris regime will not pass through the implementation of the Paris agreement itself, but thought corrective mechanisms that could be put in place to correct the loopholes of the agreement. The initiative of putting such post-Paris corrective mechanisms in place is expected to be one of the key priorities of the international community.

Using a Game to Engage Stakeholders in Extreme Event Attribution Science

The impacts of weather and climate-related disasters are increasing,and climate change can exacerbate many disasters.Effectively communicating climate risk and integrating science into policy requires scientists and stakeholders to work together.But dialogue between scientists and policymakers can be challenging given the inherently multidimensional nature of the issues at stake when managing climate risks.Building on the growing use of serious games to create dialogue between stakeholders,we present a new game for policymakers called Climate Attribution Under Loss and Damage:Risking,Observing,Negotiating(CAULDRON).CAULDRON aims to communicate understanding of the science attributing extreme events to climate change in a memorable and compelling way,and create space for dialogue around policy decisions addressing changing risks and loss and damage from climate change.We describe the process of developing CAULDRON,and draw on observations of players and their feedback to demonstrate its potential to facilitate the interpretation of probabilistic climate information and the understanding of its relevance to informing policy.Scientists looking to engage with stakeholders can learn valuable lessons in adopting similar innovative approaches.The suitability of games depends on the policy context but,if used appropriately,experiential learning can drive coproduced understanding and meaningful dialogue.