Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
The accelerated pace of anthropogenic climate change in recent decades has been accompanied by pressing questions, including many concerning responsibility and liability for the worst impacts of climate change on human populations. Greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized nations, which dwarf those from the developing world, have been causally linked to slow-onset trends such as sea level rise and increased incidences of acute climate-related disasters, both of which disproportionately affect poor and low-lying developing nations. This grim reality is central to the concept of Loss and Damage, a developing “third pillar” of international climate policy aimed at addressing the residual impacts of climate change that occur once mitigation and adaptation strategies fall short. Loss and Damage was established as a dedicated policy mechanism at the 19th conference of parties (COP-19) in Poland, under the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM). Following COP-19, the inclusion of Loss and Damage under Article 8 of the 2015 Paris Agreement formally distinguished it as a “third pillar” of climate policy separate from mitigation and adaptation. To better understand the potential of the global Loss and Damage agenda to inform national climate change strategies, I will conduct a case study of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. The region has experienced an uninterrupted sequence of dry years since 2010, often termed the “Megadrought,” which now constitutes Chile’s longest drought event on record. Climate studies have attributed 50% of the Megadrought’s severity to climate change, and project the continuation of regional warming and drying trends into the future. Chile is also poised to introduce its first framework climate law, building on a recent history of policy action that constitutes a progressive national response to climate change. To conduct this case study, I will examine both governmental responses to prolonged drought and several existing and forthcoming Chilean climate policies. I will employ a series of semi-structured interviews with individuals from Chilean government ministries and NGOs concerned with the effects of climate change, combining the resulting insights with a textual analysis of relevant climate change policies. This process may allow me to comment substantively on the relevance of the international Loss and Damage agenda for the nation of Chile as it strives to confront the effects of climate change within its own borders. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the history of Loss and Damage, an introduction to the Metropolitan Region and the Megadrought, and preliminary insights into the potential synergies of Chilean climate policies with the global Loss and Damage agenda. A brief overview of my projected fieldwork methods will also be included.
Mentor Name
Brian Chaffin
In the Shadow of the Megadrought: Opportunities and Challenges for Addressing Loss and Damage from Climate Change in Central Chile
The accelerated pace of anthropogenic climate change in recent decades has been accompanied by pressing questions, including many concerning responsibility and liability for the worst impacts of climate change on human populations. Greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized nations, which dwarf those from the developing world, have been causally linked to slow-onset trends such as sea level rise and increased incidences of acute climate-related disasters, both of which disproportionately affect poor and low-lying developing nations. This grim reality is central to the concept of Loss and Damage, a developing “third pillar” of international climate policy aimed at addressing the residual impacts of climate change that occur once mitigation and adaptation strategies fall short. Loss and Damage was established as a dedicated policy mechanism at the 19th conference of parties (COP-19) in Poland, under the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM). Following COP-19, the inclusion of Loss and Damage under Article 8 of the 2015 Paris Agreement formally distinguished it as a “third pillar” of climate policy separate from mitigation and adaptation. To better understand the potential of the global Loss and Damage agenda to inform national climate change strategies, I will conduct a case study of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. The region has experienced an uninterrupted sequence of dry years since 2010, often termed the “Megadrought,” which now constitutes Chile’s longest drought event on record. Climate studies have attributed 50% of the Megadrought’s severity to climate change, and project the continuation of regional warming and drying trends into the future. Chile is also poised to introduce its first framework climate law, building on a recent history of policy action that constitutes a progressive national response to climate change. To conduct this case study, I will examine both governmental responses to prolonged drought and several existing and forthcoming Chilean climate policies. I will employ a series of semi-structured interviews with individuals from Chilean government ministries and NGOs concerned with the effects of climate change, combining the resulting insights with a textual analysis of relevant climate change policies. This process may allow me to comment substantively on the relevance of the international Loss and Damage agenda for the nation of Chile as it strives to confront the effects of climate change within its own borders. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the history of Loss and Damage, an introduction to the Metropolitan Region and the Megadrought, and preliminary insights into the potential synergies of Chilean climate policies with the global Loss and Damage agenda. A brief overview of my projected fieldwork methods will also be included.