The Building Our Loss and Damage (BOLD) Response Project is a six-year project funded by the International Climate Initiative in Germany. The BOLD project aims to better understand, measure, and response to loss and damage in the Pacific, especially in Tuvalu, Fiji, Vanuatu, Republic of Marshall Islands and Samoa. This will involve integration of loss and damage in national policies and institutions, regional collaboration and planning for loss and damage, and increased access to funding help addressing loss and damage. The project will have a particular focus on non-economic loss and damage.
Loss and damage is the negative impacts from climate change that can’t be avoided or minimised by mitigation or adaptation activities. “Addressing” loss and damage means responding to the negative impacts of climate change that have occurred or will occur – beyond efforts to avert or minimise it. Loss and damage can be both economic (e.g. damage to infrastructure or reduced fishing yields) and non-economic (e.g. loss of language and culture or effects on mental health). Loss and Damage is a growing concern for the Pacific and as more funding opportunities arise the Pacific must be ready to access these funds and know their priorities. This is the target of this BOLD Response project.
The project is split into four work packages:
1. Develop L&D estimates/projections as a basis for policymaking and access to finance;
2. Develop a community-based non-economic loss and damage (NELD) assessment methodology and response to NELD;
3. Regional and national institutional and policy strengthening to integrate L&D in national climate change policies and ensure alignment with disaster response, relief and recovery;
4. Access to available and new sources of climate finance to address loss and damage.