Loss and damage : A review of the literature and directions for future research
McNamara, Karen E. and Jackson, Guy LU
(2019)
In Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change
10(2).
- Abstract
Climate change researchers argue that a residual domain exists beyond the limits of adaptation to prevent deleterious climate change impacts: this has been labeled as “loss and damage.” Over the last 8 years, there has been significant growth in loss and damage scholarship thus making it imperative to take stock of what we know already and directions for future research. We undertook a quantitative review of academic publications (n = 122) in the loss and damage field to date and documented study characteristics, thematic areas, trends, gaps, and opportunities. The first publication appeared in 2010 before a significant increase in published research after 2013. Although increasingly diverse over time, loss and damage studies have... (More)
Climate change researchers argue that a residual domain exists beyond the limits of adaptation to prevent deleterious climate change impacts: this has been labeled as “loss and damage.” Over the last 8 years, there has been significant growth in loss and damage scholarship thus making it imperative to take stock of what we know already and directions for future research. We undertook a quantitative review of academic publications (n = 122) in the loss and damage field to date and documented study characteristics, thematic areas, trends, gaps, and opportunities. The first publication appeared in 2010 before a significant increase in published research after 2013. Although increasingly diverse over time, loss and damage studies have primarily focused on technical, political, and normative questions. Our analysis suggests the following: that researchers predominately conceptualize loss and damage as “limits to adaptation”; that the literature is more practical (i.e., descriptive, does not challenge underlying presuppositions) than critical (i.e., challenges underlying presuppositions) in orientation; that loss and damage is conceived as both an occurring and future condition; and that economic dimensions of loss and damage are prioritized in studies. Recommended future research directions include empirical and theoretical explorations of the potential for transformational change; understanding what people value and how they can engage with loss and grief; ensuring the perspectives of the most vulnerable groups are included in decision-making; and greater policy-relevant research and critical analyses of loss and damage conceptualizations and the Warsaw International Mechanism. This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Comparative Environmental Values.
(Less)
- author
- McNamara, Karen E.
and Jackson, Guy
LU
- publishing date
- 2019-03-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- climate change, limits to adaptation, transformational change, vulnerability, Warsaw International Mechanism
- in
- Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change
- volume
- 10
- issue
- 2
- article number
- e564
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85057736239
- ISSN
- 1757-7780
- DOI
- 10.1002/wcc.564
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- a99c7cf2-e54f-4a79-88a4-162b1d1c5add
- date added to LUP
- 2021-01-09 04:37:05
- date last changed
- 2022-04-26 23:13:53
@article{a99c7cf2-e54f-4a79-88a4-162b1d1c5add,
abstract = {{<p>Climate change researchers argue that a residual domain exists beyond the limits of adaptation to prevent deleterious climate change impacts: this has been labeled as “loss and damage.” Over the last 8 years, there has been significant growth in loss and damage scholarship thus making it imperative to take stock of what we know already and directions for future research. We undertook a quantitative review of academic publications (n = 122) in the loss and damage field to date and documented study characteristics, thematic areas, trends, gaps, and opportunities. The first publication appeared in 2010 before a significant increase in published research after 2013. Although increasingly diverse over time, loss and damage studies have primarily focused on technical, political, and normative questions. Our analysis suggests the following: that researchers predominately conceptualize loss and damage as “limits to adaptation”; that the literature is more practical (i.e., descriptive, does not challenge underlying presuppositions) than critical (i.e., challenges underlying presuppositions) in orientation; that loss and damage is conceived as both an occurring and future condition; and that economic dimensions of loss and damage are prioritized in studies. Recommended future research directions include empirical and theoretical explorations of the potential for transformational change; understanding what people value and how they can engage with loss and grief; ensuring the perspectives of the most vulnerable groups are included in decision-making; and greater policy-relevant research and critical analyses of loss and damage conceptualizations and the Warsaw International Mechanism. This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Comparative Environmental Values.</p>}},
author = {{McNamara, Karen E. and Jackson, Guy}},
issn = {{1757-7780}},
keywords = {{climate change; limits to adaptation; transformational change; vulnerability; Warsaw International Mechanism}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{2}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change}},
title = {{Loss and damage : A review of the literature and directions for future research}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.564}},
doi = {{10.1002/wcc.564}},
volume = {{10}},
year = {{2019}},
}