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Through 14 case studies from climate-hit communities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, this multi-author resource reveals the true impact of ‘non-economic loss and damage’. Unlike the destruction of infrastructure or assets, these harms cannot be easily quantified and are often overlooked. But the consequences of losing traditional ways of living, cultural heritage and biodiversity cannot be ignored: they trigger the erosion of community cohesion and resilience and cause trauma, displacement and danger, especially for the most vulnerable people and groups. Each author describes the climate hazards assailing a community, who is impacted and how, and current coping mechanisms. This unique resource is intended to support policymakers in understanding the nature and urgency of non-economic loss and damage, and to encourage practitioners to exchange knowledge and solutions from the community level.

Important takeaways include:

• It is important to listen carefully to local people and note their full range of grievances, as these could be connected within the same patterns or causes. Language may separate the issues covered, so it is important to ‘connect the dots’.
• Food access stress is a major mental health impact of climate change on a community. 
• When it comes to green transition projects and climate adaptation, the term ‘community-based green entrepreneurship’ is often used with the good intention of maximising local ownership in such projects.  
• Social cohesion and peace are easily disrupted under economic and sustenance stress as demonstrated in the case of violent territorial disputes within fishing.