A 2020 study titled Climate-Induced Loss and Damage in Tanzania: An Obstacle to Sustainable Socio-Economic Development shows that the country loses an estimated $200 million (about Sh500 billion) every year due to climate-related impacts.
Dar es Salaam. In Tanzania, the effects of loss and damage linked to climate change are no longer theoretical; they are already shaping people’s daily lives and key sectors of the economy.
A 2020 study titled Climate-Induced Loss and Damage in Tanzania: An Obstacle to Sustainable Socio-Economic Development shows that the country loses an estimated $200 million (about Sh500 billion) every year due to climate-related impacts.
These losses, the study states, are most evident in the agriculture sector, where erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and frequent crop failures continue to threaten food security and household income.
Coastal communities face similar vulnerabilities, including land degradation and saltwater intrusion, which are rendering previously productive farmland unusable.
Speaking at the COP29 climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tanzania’s former Vice President Dr Philip Mpango said: “Extreme weather events have devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, leading to reduced food and water security, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) losses of up to five percent in the country.”
Loss and damage refer to the harms caused by climate change that go beyond what communities or countries can prevent or adapt to.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), these impacts range from homes destroyed by floods and farmland lost to rising seas, to the disappearance of cultural heritage sites and the psychological trauma and loss of identity experienced when communities are forced to relocate.
“Loss” covers irreversible impacts such as deaths, loss of livestock, biodiversity decline, or the disappearance of cultural sites, while “damage” refers to impacts that can be repaired, including destroyed roads, bridges, and homes. WRI warns that these impacts are increasing in frequency, intensity, and scale as global temperatures rise.
The concept of loss and damage has been on the global negotiation agenda for decades. WRI notes that the issue was first raised in 1991 when Vanuatu, was speaking for small island nations, proposed a compensation scheme for sea-level rise linked to greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised countries.
This early proposal reflected the principle that nations least responsible for climate change were already bearing its most severe consequences.
The issue gained momentum under the 2007 Bali Action Plan, and in 2013, countries established the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage to address the needs of vulnerable nations.
A major milestone followed in 2015 when Article 8 of the Paris Agreement formally recognised loss and damage as a distinct pillar of global climate action, separate from mitigation and adaptation.
However, debates on who should finance loss and damage remained contentious for years. Developed countries, WRI notes, resisted any language implying liability or compensation, fearing it could open the door to legal responsibility for historical emissions.
Despite this pushback, developing nations continued advocating for a fair system of financial support.
A breakthrough came at COP27 in Egypt in 2022, when countries agreed to establish the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), a historic move for climate-vulnerable nations.
As WRI reported in 2023, pledges towards the Fund reached about $768.4 million (Sh1.92 trillion) by 2025, though this remains a fraction of the estimated $580 billion (Sh1.45 trillion) that developing countries will require annually by 2030 to address climate-related losses.
Although the Fund represents progress from acknowledgment to action, the key question remains: how will resources reach frontline communities?
Tanzania is among the countries poised to benefit from the Loss and Damage Fund, yet research indicates that risks and consequences are growing faster than available support.
A 2023 Country Climate Change Risk Assessment Report Tanzania by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) warns that rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events are threatening livelihoods, infrastructure, and food security, particularly among low-income households.
It cautions that without urgent intervention, climate impacts could reverse hard-won development gains.
Additional evidence supports these concerns. The World Bank’s 2024 Tanzania Country Climate and Development Report shows that climate change is slowing economic growth and disproportionately affecting the poor through reduced crop yields, water scarcity, increased disease outbreaks, and the loss of productive assets.
Several academic studies have explored these issues at the sectoral level, including the 2021 study on Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Communities in Tanzania, the 2022 study Assessing Climate Losses among Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Tanzania, and the 2023 study Community Perceptions of Loss and Damage in Coastal Tanzania.
These studies consistently identify coastal communities, smallholder farmers, fishers, and pastoralists as the most vulnerable groups experiencing climate-related loss and damage.
As global debates continue, bridging the gap between high-level negotiations and the lived realities of Tanzanians becomes increasingly crucial.
The establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund suggests that global financial support exists, but accessing it requires strong domestic systems and institutional capacity.
A 2024 report by Tanzania’s Parliamentary Budget Committee cautioned that the country could miss out on climate finance opportunities, including loss and damage funds, due to weak institutional structures.
The report noted that the National Environmental Fund is still housed within a department rather than functioning as an independent institution, restricting its ability to access international climate financing directly.
This implies that even if large sums are available globally, Tanzania may struggle to channel resources to communities in need.
Nevertheless, examples of local-level support financed through climate-related funding demonstrate the potential impact of loss and damage interventions.
In December 2023, extreme rainfall linked to El Niño triggered deadly landslides in Hanang District, Manyara Region, destroying homes, latrines, and community infrastructure. Climate Hub Tanzania secured a $25,000 grant to support recovery efforts.
According to the Local Development Youth Fund (2023), the funds were used to rebuild houses, construct sanitation facilities, and provide essential services to affected households.
This small-scale intervention helped families regain dignity, safety, and stability, showing how timely climate financing can transform lives after disasters.
To fully benefit from the Loss and Damage Fund, Tanzania will need to strengthen national systems for accessing and managing financing, define clear priorities for vulnerable groups, and integrate loss and damage planning into national development strategies.
Recognising that loss and damage occur when adaptation is no longer enough, resources must target frontline communities such as coastal families in Bagamoyo, Lindi, and Zanzibar facing land loss; as well as smallholder farmers in Dodoma, Singida, and Manyara grappling with recurrent crop failure; and pastoralists losing livestock due to prolonged drought and shrinking grazing land.
These groups need both emergency relief following climate shocks and long-term support to rebuild livelihoods, relocate where necessary, and safeguard cultural heritage.
Loss and damage have major implications for Tanzania’s development pathway. Climate change threatens sectors including agriculture, fisheries, and tourism that millions depend on for income and survival.
The World Bank (2024) warns that if climate action continues to lag, Tanzania’s development agenda and poverty reduction goals will face severe setbacks.
The 2020 study on climate-induced loss and damage emphasised that these impacts are already undermining Tanzania’s prospects for sustainable socio-economic development.
This highlights why access to the Loss and Damage Fund, strong national systems, and fair global climate finance are critical
Halili Letea is a climate change journalist at Mwananchi Communications Ltd. He can be reached at +255 713 799 044.
