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Assessing Non-Economic Loss and Damage from Climate Change

Assessing Non-Economic Loss and Damage from Climate Change

Program: Dow Distinguished Awards
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Canoe

This project focuses on assessing and measuring non-economic loss and damage (NELD) from climate change or other environmental stress as experienced by marginalized communities. The project and methodology were built in partnership with the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northern Wisconsin. The project team conducted ethnographic interviews with tribal members to identify potential adverse health impacts, reduction in biodiversity, loss of indigenous knowledge, as well as the loss of identity or sense of place resulting from the destruction of culturally important landscapes or built sites. By analyzing these oral histories, the team plans to create a final report to both inform policy-makers and establish a community archive. The team is also exploring the feasibility of developing a methodology to assess non-economic loss and damage, thereby informing adaptation and mitigation strategies that minimize the consequences of climate change.