Policymakers must consider risk from slow-onset processes, as well as extreme weather

This report summarizes the first part of a two-part document detailing a July 2012 UNFCCC regional expert meeting on Loss and Damage held in Mexico City. It highlights the disparity in policy attention between extreme weather events and slow-onset climate processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, and calls for integrated risk-management approaches to address these gaps.

• While Latin America and the Caribbean have significant experience managing risks from extreme weather events—such as hurricanes Mitch (1998), Katrina (2005), and Irene (2011)—they are less capable of addressing slow-onset climate-related events like ocean acidification, sea-temperature rise, and sea-level rise.
• Policymakers have given significantly less attention to slow-onset processes compared to extreme weather, leading delegates to call for this knowledge gap to be addressed, particularly regarding potential impacts in a world 4°C warmer than pre-industrial levels.
• Meeting participants determined that reducing loss and damage requires more comprehensive approaches that integrate disaster-risk management and adaptation, alongside improved data sharing and political coordination.
• Specific slow-onset challenges identified in other regions include soil salinisation and sea-level rise in Bangladesh, sea-level rise in Pacific small-island states, and the threat to water supplies in India, Bhutan, and Nepal caused by melting glaciers in the Himalaya.

APA

Harmeling, S., & Warner, K. (n.d.). Policymakers must consider risk from slow-onset processes, as well as extreme weather. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/policymakers-must-consider-risk-from-slow-onset-processes-as-well-as-extreme-weather

Chicago

Harmeling, Sven, and Koko Warner. Policymakers must consider risk from slow-onset processes, as well as extreme weather. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/policymakers-must-consider-risk-from-slow-onset-processes-as-well-as-extreme-weather.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{harmelingndpolicymakers, author = {Harmeling, Sven and Warner, Koko}, title = {{Policymakers must consider risk from slow-onset processes, as well as extreme weather}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/policymakers-must-consider-risk-from-slow-onset-processes-as-well-as-extreme-weather}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }