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Only 2.9% of the ocean is officially safeguarded under “high protection.” In December 2022, at COP15, world leaders finally committed to protect 30% by 2030. Now it’s time to hold them to their promise.
What might be considered Loss and Damage?
While catastrophic storms make headlines, the relentless impact of warming temperatures, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss receives less attention, but carries an increasingly urgent and costly toll for developing nations. Some of the persistent, perhaps lesser-known costs and impact of the climate crisis considered in Loss and Damage might include:
Loss of livelihoods: The degradation of coral reefs, declining fish populations, and extreme weather events disrupt agricultural activities and tourism, making it increasingly difficult for people in developing countries to sustain their incomes.
Physical Losses: These are some of the best-known impacts of climate change and include damage to infrastructure, property, and ecosystems from extreme weather events, e.g., hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and droughts.
Economic losses: Climate change leads to reduced agricultural yields, damage to industries, and increased costs associated with infrastructure repair and reconstruction. Over the past half century, climate change has cost $4.3 trillion in economic damages.
Displacement and migration: Climate change-induced events can force people to leave their homes, leading to climate-induced migration and potentially increasing social and political tensions. According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration, one billion people worldwide could be displaced by climate change by 2050.
Cultural losses: Environmental changes and extreme weather events affect the cultural heritage of communities. Cultural loss can be associated with the displacement and separation of communities, the disappearance of important landmarks, and the loss of historic sites. It includes the erosion or disappearance of unique customs, traditions, languages, and other aspects of cultural heritage.