A policy brief 

What happened on the issue of loss and damage atthe 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) held inGlasgow in November 2021 and why does it matter?In many ways COP26 was the moment when lossand damage was transformed from being an issueof importance to certain states and communities –for example the small island states – to one that hasbecome centre stage for much of the world. Thedeveloping countries grouping, known as the G77plus China, were united in unprecedented ways onthe issue of loss and damage in Glasgow. We alsowitnessed a host of different non-state and substate stakeholders taking up the mantle of loss anddamage from those marching in the streets, to theFirst Minister of Scotland to the Trade Unionconstituency of the UNFCCC.Given the growing frequency and intensity of theadverse impacts of climate change globally and thelaunch of the most recent assessment of theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), the Working Group I contribution to the 6thAssessment Report, this is an issue that is now onthe political agenda. This set of short reflectionsfrom our inter-disciplinary team of expertsadvances our understanding of the globalgovernance of climate change loss and damage.Coming from different disciplinary perspectives,from anthropology and law to geography andpolitical science, we explore the topic of climatechange loss and damage governance focusing onissues of finance, science and expertise, policy, lawand litigation.