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Framing Climate Change Loss and Damage in UNFCCC Negotiations

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  • Lisa Vanhala
  • Cecilie Hestbaek

Abstract

How does an idea emerge and gain traction in the international arena when its underpinning principles are contested by powerful players? The adoption in 2013 of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) puzzled observers, because key state parties, such as the United States, had historically opposed the policy. This article examines the roles of frame contestation and ambiguity in accounting for the evolution and institutionalization of the “loss and damage” norm within the UNFCCC. The article applies frame analysis to the data from coverage of the negotiations and elite interviews. It reveals that two competing framings, one focused on liability and compensation and the other on risk and insurance, evolved into a single, overarching master frame. This more ambiguous framing allowed parties to attach different meanings to the policy that led to the resolution of differences among the parties and the embedding of the idea of loss and damage in international climate policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa Vanhala & Cecilie Hestbaek, 2016. "Framing Climate Change Loss and Damage in UNFCCC Negotiations," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 16(4), pages 111-129, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:16:y:2016:i:4:p:111-129
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Abigail Sullivan & Dave D. White, 2020. "Climate change as catastrophe or opportunity? Climate change framing and implications for water and climate governance in a drought-prone region," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, March.
    3. Michelle Scobie, 0. "International aid, trade and investment and access and allocation," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-16.
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    6. Giovanni Bettini & Giovanna Gioli & Romain Felli, 2020. "Clouded skies: How digital technologies could reshape “Loss and Damage” from climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(4), July.
    7. Mizan Khan & Stacy-ann Robinson & Romain Weikmans & David Ciplet & J. Timmons Roberts, 2020. "Twenty-five years of adaptation finance through a climate justice lens," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 251-269, July.
    8. Perry, Keston K., 2020. "The New ‘Bond-age’, Climate Crisis and the Case for Climate Reparations: Unpicking Old/New Colonialities of Finance for Development within the SDGs," SocArXiv h9s2z, Center for Open Science.
    9. repec:bdu:ojijcs:v:2:y:2023:i:1:p:28-39:id:1829 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Stephen Woroniecki & Pamela Feetham & Björn-Ola Linnér & Api Movono & Priyatma Singh & Franco Vaccarino & Victoria Wibeck & Kristin Zeiler, 2025. "Grounding the conversation on loss and damage: insights from sense-making analysis with Pacific leaders," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(11), pages 1-21, November.
    11. Arcusa, Stephanie & Hagood, Emily, 2023. "Definitions and mechanisms for managing durability and reversals in standards and procurers of carbon dioxide removal," OSF Preprints 6bth5, Center for Open Science.
    12. Michelle Scobie, 2021. "Treaty Preambles and The Environmental Justice Gap," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(3), pages 273-285, May.
    13. Michelle Scobie, 2020. "International aid, trade and investment and access and allocation," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 239-254, June.

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