Conclusion

The book’s concluding chapter draws together insights from across the empirical case studies showcasing the diversity of outcomes on national policy action on loss and damage. By offering a comparison between the different Global South countries studied, the chapter identifies patterns with respect to how policymakers and other stakeholders are approaching policy development, adoption and innovation. It finds that Antigua and Barbuda, Tuvalu and Bangladesh have moved the furthest in terms of policy development and innovation, while Ethiopia and The Bahamas have been slower to engage with loss and damage at the national level and Peru and Chile are only starting to understand the relevance of loss and damage for national policymaking. The chapter argues that while the very concept of loss and damage is an international construct, its meaning is still being contested and re-constituted within and across scales of governance. The chapter ends by outlining a research agenda for further studies in the context of the national turn in loss and damage governance.