Balancing ex-ante and ex-post approaches for Loss and Damage policy in a fragmented world
Current Loss and Damage frameworks remain largely reactive, prioritising post-disaster response. We argue for better integration of ex-ante and ex-post approaches, including building back better strategies, to break recurring cycles of loss and recovery. Drawing on a scoping review, selected case studies, and expert consultations, we identify three enabling conditions- robust knowledge systems, inclusive governance, and flexible finance- to strengthen both short-term recovery and long-term resilience.
Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Chandni Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6842-6735)
- Edmond Totin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3377-6190)
- Joern Birkmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8733-3964)
- John Handmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-7946)
- Joanna M. McMillan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4843-0029)
- Ali Jamshed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4802-1225)
Institutions
- University of Stuttgart (DE)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
- Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IN)
- Universite des Sciences Appliquée et Management (BJ)
- RMIT University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Climate Action
- Published
- 2026-07-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-026-00407-w
- Primary Topic
- Disaster Management and Resilience
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00