IIASA workshop on Finance for Climate Loss and Damage

Discussion around "Loss and Damage" has intensified in recent years, while its origins trace back to the establishment of the UN Climate Convention in the 1990s. This momentum is fueled by increasing scientific evidence highlighting that human-induced climate change is exacerbating the frequency, intensity, and duration of climate-related hazards, as well as the growing impacts and risks associated with these changes in many regions. Quantification exercises have suggested that finance needs may be in the billions of Euros annually.

As the quantification of L&D needs however remains scant, but influential in the climate policy space, IIASA with the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) is running an expert elicitation process to develop an expert opinion on what a reasonable qualitative and quantitative range for L&D needs could be. To this effect, as part of the SYRR transdisciplinary resilience lab series, a workshop on December 16 brought together a diverse group of leading social, economic and climate researchers and analysts. The exercise will continue throughout 2025 and lead to publications, outreach at UN Climate Convention events and further dissemination.