“I Think the Seasons Have Been Lost”: Exploring the Intangible Losses Induced by Climate Change and the Role of Climate Justice in the Peruvian Andes

Abstract (Spanish)

Las pérdidas y daños asociados con los impactos del cambio climático están incrementando,
afectando desproporcionadamente a comunidades agrícolas en países vulnerables como Perú. Para
abordar las pérdidas y los daños se estableció el Mecanismo Internacional de Varsovia, este mismo
se enfoca principalmente en las pérdidas económicas y cuantificables. Las pérdidas no económicas e
intangibles están subrepresentadas en la política y los estudios actuales de pérdidas y daños.
Especialmente, hay un déficit de estudios basados en valores y experiencias locales. Además, las
cuestiones de justicia climática asociadas con las pérdidas y daños siguen siendo desatendidas.
Debido a estas carencias, este estudio investiga las pérdidas intangibles incurridas en Majes y Castilla
Media en Perú y los mecanismos de justicia climática para abordar estas pérdidas. La investigación se
ha basado en la teoría del punto de vista feminista, a través de 24 entrevistas semiestructuradas con
miembros de la comunidad y alcaldes municipales. Se han identificado ocho categorías de pérdida
intangible, junto con los siguientes temas. Los resultados sugieren la necesidad de disolver la
dicotomía entre la pérdida económica y no económica, la utilidad de mantener un énfasis en los
valores para entender mejor las experiencias de pérdida y la interconexión entre la adaptación, los
mecanismos de afrontamiento y la pérdida. Con respecto a la justicia climática, este estudio muestra
la necesidad de basar la percepción de justicia en una perspectiva transformadora que se enfoca en
colaboración e inclusión. Se requiere más investigación considerando las experiencias vividas y
percepciones locales de pérdida.

Abstract

Losses and damages induced by climate change are increasingly felt by communities worldwide,
disproportionately affecting communities relying on subsistence agriculture. Peru is one of the
countries most vulnerable to losses and damages, due to its high exposure to climatic risks and the
relative vulnerability of its population. To respond to climate-driven loss, the Warsaw International
Mechanism was established, focusing primarily on economic and quantifiable losses and damages,
yet increasingly acknowledging non-economic losses and damages. However, intangible losses are
underrepresented, with context-specific and value-based perspectives on loss being particularly
overlooked. Further, questions of climate justice regarding inequitable climate harm remain
insufficiently explored. Therefore, this study investigates the intangible losses and potential climate
justice mechanisms for addressing loss in the two areas of Majes and Castilla Media in the Peruvian
Andes. The research was informed by feminist standpoint theory and carried out through 24 semi
structured interviews with community members and local politicians. Eight categories of intangible
loss were identified, along with the following themes: The need to dissolve the dichotomy between
economic and non-economic loss, the utility of a value-based approach to address value trade-offs,
and the interconnectedness between loss, adaptation, and coping mechanisms. Regarding climate
justice, the findings indicate a need for a comprehensive and transformative approach to justice that
is embedded in collaboration, inclusion, and diverse knowledge systems. Beyond this, further
research regarding the existential perspective on loss and damage is needed, as well as research
grounded in lived experiences, and insight into transformative justice approaches to complement
current mechanisms.

Popular Abstract

Agricultural communities in the Peruvian Andes are experiencing the consequences of
climate change. What exactly are they losing because of the changing climate, and how can these
losses be addressed? This study set out to answer these questions. The results indicate that losses and
damages are complex phenomena that need to be studied in their unique contexts with attention to
underlying inequalities.

Climate change is a growing global issue that affects people and communities worldwide.
Agricultural communities are known to be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change and
the losses and damages that come from these effects. Losses caused by climate change have become
well-studied in recent years. For instance, experts have looked into how climate change leads to
economic losses because of the reduced crop yield in agriculture. States and organizations have also
attempted to compensate economically for these losses. This may seem like an effective way to bring
justice to the affected communities, and it can be a good first step. However, experts have also pointed
out that losses relating to, for example, culture and identity, have been poorly considered. These losses
are described as non-economic and often intangible. Reducing, managing, and addressing such losses
can be equally as important as avoiding crop loss. It is important to understand how different people
and communities view loss based on the context in which they live. Therefore, this research
investigates the intangible losses caused by climate change through interviews with community
members and local politicians in two areas of the Peruvian Andes.

The interviews showed eight categories of intangible loss, such as losses in customs, traditions, and
mobility. The study also found three broader themes that are important to think about when working
with losses and damages. First of all, economic, non-economic, and intangible losses should be
studied together instead of separately, because they can happen at the same time. Second, the values
prioritized by communities should be better understood, since what someone holds dear influences
what they consider as a loss. Also, the results show that people sometimes have to choose between
two things that they value because they cannot have both. Third, there is a fine line between viewing
the impacts of climate change as a loss and understanding these impacts as a possibility to adapt and
develop new habits.

Besides these results, the study further illustrated how climate justice is seen by community members.
All in all, the results suggest that policy addressing the effects of climate change should focus on more
than just economic solutions to losses and damages. It should also include broader systemic changes,
for example in political systems, and it should focus on the inclusion of all community members when
talking about climate change solutions.

So, what does this mean for loss and damage research and policy? The study reveals more examples
of intangible losses in agricultural areas and adds to the existing literature on loss and damage. This
literature can eventually help guide policy solutions to losses and damages that are suited to what
people actually want and need. Also, the study shows the usefulness of climate justice approaches that
are not based on economic solutions. By better understanding intangible losses in specific contexts, it
will become more achievable to find sustainable solutions for losses and damages that have happened
and are happening because of climate change.

• author: Blomqvist, Agnes and Nijboer, Cheyenne India
• supervisor: Mo Hamza
• organization: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
• alternative title: “Creo yo que las Estaciones ya se han Perdido”: Explorando las Pérdidas Intangibles Causados por el Cambio Climático y el Rol que Tiene la Justicia Climática en los Andes Peruanos
• course: VBRM15 20251
• year: 2025
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Social Sciences; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Technology and Engineering
• keywords: Non-economic losses and damages, intangible loss, value trade-offs, climate justice, transformative justice, feminist standpoint theory, subsistence agriculture, Peru, Majes, Castilla Media
• language: English
• additional info: This research was conducted in collaboration with Svalorna Latinamerika.
• id: 9208320
• date added to LUP: 2025-07-21 10:08:03
• date last changed: 2025-07-21 10:08:03