Key points

• There are no formally agreed metrics that can be used to measure the impacts of human-induced climate change now and in the future, hindering loss and damage and adaptation assessments. For this reason, adaptation is not adequately addressed in the just-concluded 1st Global Stocktake (GST) cycle. The IPCC should set up a task force on climate impact metrics to address this gap.
• There is a lack of robust climate and impacts data and research in many of the countries that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This particularly hampers efforts to assess climate change impacts on extreme weather in those places and also hinders the development of robust adaptation action.
• The development of climate change attribution science means that it is now possible in many cases to demonstrate a causal relationship between extreme weather events and human-caused climate change. However, there are limits to what is possible and it is essential that eligibility criteria for the Loss and Damage Fund are designed with this in mind. If the evidentiary bar is set too high, the Fund will not be able to deliver on its aim to assist vulnerable countries in dealing with the worst impacts of climate change.