The world is grappling with unprecedented challenges caused by climate change, with vulnerable communities facing devastating impacts. Climate change has resulted in irreparable losses and damages to economies, homes, lands and people’s livelihoods, but also to health, cultural heritage, traditions and ways of life.

There is a critical need to understand and tackle loss and damage from both these economic and non-economic perspectives.

Localised, actionable research, and grassroots voices are more crucial than ever to inform effective policy measures and actions. To address this, IIED has conducted an extensive range of studies, developed tools, and created platforms that combine research rigour with real-life stories and experiences of those struggling with the effects of loss and damage.

This event, hosted in partnership with UNDP on 7 November, will provide practical, actionable insights. We will share case studies from local research institutions and experts to showcase experiences and highlight the resources needed for effective action.

The event will hear from participants of the Grassroots Women’s Shared Learning Dialogues, carried out in partnership with Huairou Commission. Finally, we will launch the Loss and Damage Research Observatory, which aims to create a community of practice devoted to sharing grounded evidence on both economic and non-economic loss and damage.

About the speakers

Keynote speaker: tbc, co-chair, Working Group II, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (tbc)

Tom Mitchell, executive director, IIED

Sanny Ramos Jegillos, senior advisor, Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery team leader, Climate and Disaster team (Asia Pacific), UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub

Ritu Bharadwaj, principal researcher, IIED

Anwesha Tewary, representative of grassroots women's organisations, Huairou Commission

Presentations of selected case studies by experts/authors from the global South with an overview of the methodologies used, key findings and policy points:

Unseen tides: the hidden health crisis after the 2022 monsoon floods in Sindh, Pakistan – Fiza Naz Qureshi
Ode to the Benahaj River: how a climate-fuelled landslide and subsequent ecosystem loss forced an Indigenous tribe in Vanuatu to relocate – Christopher Bartlett
Climate migration’s growing threat to marginalised people in Tamil Nadu, India – C.M. Pratheepa
The ripple effect of lost ecosystems and biodiversity in the Volta River Estuary, a Ramsar site in Ghana – Sylvanus S.P. Doe
Fighting a losing battle? A case study tracking ecosystem loss in nature-dependent Okavango Delta communities of Botswana – Sharon Tshipa

About attending

When

Tuesday, 7 November 2023, 11am-1pm (GMT).

Where

Online via zoom.

Where can I contact the organisers with questions?

If you have any questions about attending, please email mette.groen@iied.org.

About data protection

The information you provide will be held on our database to process your booking. We do not share data with any third parties. See our privacy policy on the IIED website. We may contact you in the future about other IIED events. Please let us know if you do not want to receive any further information from us.

Photography and videotaping

This event will be photographed, and/or videotaped on behalf of the organiser(s) for display, distribution, and broadcast, including on television and the world wide web. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and/or videotaped and waive any claims regarding the use of your image or contribution.

Photo: A man maintaining a solid barrier wall around a small group of graves with headstones, in Demak, Indonesia. (Dhana Kencan/Climate Visuals, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In partnership with:

Tackling loss and damage: practical solutions from the frontline