UN Environment Programme 28d ago

Extreme weather events are reshaping lives and landscapes across the globe. Floods, droughts, wildfires, cyclones, and rising seas are leaving behind more than damaged infrastructure and economic losses—they are eroding cultures, disrupting communities, threatening biodiversity, and putting entire ways of life at risk. While the financial costs of climate-related disasters can be calculated, many losses cannot be measured in monetary terms. The loss of lives, health, cultural heritage, Indigenous knowledge, ecosystems, species, and sense of place often remain invisible in traditional assessments of climate impacts. Recognizing these non-economic losses and damages is essential to understanding the full consequences of climate change. Recovery is not only about rebuilding homes, roads, and livelihoods; it is also about safeguarding the people, cultures, and natural systems that make communities whole. A complete picture of climate loss and damage requires valuing what cannot be bought, replaced, or restored once it is gone.