When Adaptation Is Not Enough: Paris Agreement Recognizes “Loss and Damage”

The Paris Agreement formally recognizes "loss and damage" as a distinct issue from adaptation, acknowledging that some climate impacts are too severe to be adapted to. This includes extreme weather events and slow-onset events like desertification or the disappearance of island nations. The agreement makes the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage permanent and calls for international cooperation on early warning systems, risk management, and insurance, while explicitly stating that the provision does not establish a basis for legal liability or compensation.

• The Paris Agreement establishes "loss and damage" as a standalone concept, separating it from adaptation to address climate impacts that are too severe to be adapted to, resulting in permanent or significantly damaging effects.
• Loss and damage is categorized into two types of events: extreme weather events, such as cyclones causing loss of life and property, and slow onset events, including species extinction, desertification, and the disappearance of low-lying island nations.
• The agreement makes the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage permanent, an institution originally created in 2013 that was scheduled to expire in 2016.
• The agreement encourages international cooperation in specific areas including insurance, risk assessment and management, disaster preparedness, and early warning systems, as well as the understanding of non-economic losses like damage to cultural or historic sites.
• To address the concerns of wealthier nations regarding legal liability, the COP decision text accompanying the Agreement specifies that the article on loss and damage does not create a basis for compensation or liability.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). When Adaptation Is Not Enough: Paris Agreement Recognizes “Loss and Damage”. https://www.wri.org/insights/when-adaptation-not-enough-paris-agreement-recognizes-loss-and-damage

Chicago

World Resources Institute. When Adaptation Is Not Enough: Paris Agreement Recognizes “Loss and Damage”. 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/when-adaptation-not-enough-paris-agreement-recognizes-loss-and-damage.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=When Adaptation Is Not Enough: Paris Agreement Recognizes “Loss and Damage” |date=24 December 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/when-adaptation-not-enough-paris-agreement-recognizes-loss-and-damage |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015when, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{When Adaptation Is Not Enough: Paris Agreement Recognizes “Loss and Damage”}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/when-adaptation-not-enough-paris-agreement-recognizes-loss-and-damage}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }