Loss and damage refers to the current and unavoidable impacts of climate change experienced by millions of people across the globe. Ecosystem loss and degradation, exacerbated by climate change, is a major component of loss and damage. The Friends of EbA and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) jointly produced an issue brief for COP27 that outlined the state of the negotiations on Loss & Damage with a focus on how ecosystem integrity and the implementation and financing of Nature-based Solutions can contribute to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage. This issue briefly emphasises how the relationship between climate vulnerability and ecosystem health is reciprocal: while healthy ecosystems enhance climate resilience, the effects of climate change typically reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide these services.

Investment in Nature-based Solutions provides one of the most cost-effective means to create climate resilience for vulnerable and marginalised communities and the ecosystems they depend on, and offers one pathway for averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage. However, in order to maximise the success of NbS it is vital to account for climate change induced losses of ecosystems and their services, and the resulting effect on future risk reduction.

This brief was produced in partnership with PEDRR as a contribution to the ongoing negotiations on L&D under UNFCCC.