Anthropogenic climate change is causing widespread losses and damages to what people value. To date, non-economic loss and damage assessments are commonly guided by predefined ‘types’ of non-economic losses, similar to those proposed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Instead, we draw from studies conducted in Bangladesh and Fiji to emphasize the benefits of a values-based assessment …

I have been working on climate change for many years, first as a researcher in my native Bangladesh and later as head of the climate change group at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. I have seen first-hand the threats climate change poses in places such as the …

This article looks at the economic and non-economic ‘‘loss and damage’ (L&D) of communities in Bangladesh experiencing climate induced displacement. Highlighting the potential of the innovative Climate Resilient Migrant Friendly Towns project, developed by ICCCAD, to provide durable solutions to climate IDPs, the authors make the case that L&D funding should prioritize people displaced by climate and the host communities …

Mongla, the second seaport of Bangladesh, is situated in the southernmost part of the country. As the local economy has grown, the area has witnessed a massive population influx, with around 150,000 residents now living there. This has put a significant strain on water resources. The groundwater is saline, and the community relies entirely on surface drinking water sources. During the rainy …

During the Inclusive Urban Infrastructure (IUI) project’s annual meeting in Zimbabwe last year, we visited Hopley Farm, located on the periphery of the country’s capital Harare, and engaged with the community. As IUI colleagues prepare to visit urban neighbourhoods in Colombo (Sri Lanka) during this year’s IUI annual meeting, we thought it was a timely moment to reflect on our visit to Hopely …

This climate researcher from Bangladesh helped to force wealthy countries to pay for the losses and damages from climate change. In the final hours before the close of last month’s United Nations climate conference in Egypt, exhausted delegates slumped on sofas outside the formal meeting rooms. But not Saleemul Huq, who was sitting upright, rapidly checking messages on his phone. …

The recent agreement by all countries to establish a new fund for loss and damage from human-induced climate change at COP27 was a simple recognition of an unfortunate reality that has existed for a long time. The reality is that the impacts that are now scientifically attributable to global temperature rise are now happening every day around the world, and …

Globally, 24% of the urban population lives in informal settlements. Such settlements often have inadequate essential services, including housing, water, sanitation, energy, transportation and communications. In Bangladesh, 47.2% of the population lives in urban informal settlements. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of people in Bangladesh are forced to drink contaminated water, many of whom live in urban informal settlements. Thus the lack of availability …

People in Burigoalini and Gabura Unions frequently face climate-related hazards. Adequate adaptation measures to these hazards are often missing, causing losses and damages. This paper focuses on non-economic losses and damages: items that are not commonly traded in markets (such as the loss of biodiversity or cultural heritage). The non-economic losses and damages that people in Burigoalini and Gabura Unions …

People in the coastal regions of Bangladesh are stuck in an unending cycle of having to rebuild their lives destroyed due to recurring flooding and cyclones. The affected people have been running on credit to get back on their feet and struggling to settle while their living conditions are being threatened every time there is a flood or cyclone. The …