Surveying the Future: Tech Tools and the Loss and Damage Debate at COP30

BELÉM, Brazil — As negotiators prepare for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the issue of “Loss and Damage” (L&D) stands at the centre of the global climate debate. For countries facing the harshest impacts of climate change, the conversation is no longer theoretical.

Delegates at COP29 in Baku celebrated the signing of agreements that operationalised the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. Since then, the Fund — hosted by the World Bank and led by Executive Director Ibrahima Cheikh Diong — has begun financing projects to support climate-vulnerable communities. With contributions now surpassing $780 million, the Fund is seen as a critical lifeline for countries on the frontlines of climate change. (Photo: UNFCCC)

Hurricanes, flash floods, prolonged droughts and rising seas are already destroying homes, eroding land and undermining economies. The question that looms large is how the international community will recognise these losses, compensate affected communities and prevent future devastation.

The urgency is amplified by a milestone legal development. In July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right, and that states carry legal obligations to protect it. While non-binding, the opinion is expected to shape the discourse in Belém, strengthening calls for climate accountability and reinforcing claims for reparations under L&D mechanisms.

At the same time, the newly created Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has begun financing projects. The Fund, announced at COP29 in Baku and hosted by the World Bank, is led by Executive Director Ibrahima Cheikh Diong. It has held regular board meetings, most recently in Cebu, Philippines, and will reconvene in Manila in October. Yet smaller and highly vulnerable nations argue that disbursements remain slow and fragmented. Countries such as Somalia, where climate shocks routinely overwhelm weak institutions, continue to struggle in accessing much-needed resources.

Measuring the Unmeasurable

Central to the L&D debate is a persistent challenge: measurement. Losses extend far beyond physical assets. They include cultural heritage, identity, biodiversity and displacement — elements that are harder to quantify but no less devastating. Current funding needs are estimated at anywhere between USD 200 billion and 4 trillion annually, depending on methodology. Such wide-ranging figures highlight a critical gap in evidence-based assessment.

This is where advances in cadastral surveying and geospatial technology are playing an increasingly pivotal role. “Without verifiable data, loss and damage risks remain abstract, and claims for compensation lose traction,” said an adviser to the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM), which coordinates technical work on L&D under the UNFCCC. “Surveying innovation gives countries the evidence they need to substantiate their cases.”

Visualising Climate Loss

In recent years, drones equipped with LiDAR sensors have transformed post-disaster mapping. After Cyclone Winston struck Fiji in 2016, UAVs provided high-resolution imagery of flooded coastlines and destroyed settlements. Authorities were able to match the images with cadastral maps, identifying which parcels were submerged and which could be rehabilitated. This not only expedited compensation but also informed future coastal planning.

Fixed-wing UAVs are today being retrofitted with high-resolution sensors for rapid aerial mapping after disasters. These drones are widely used in post-disaster assessments due to their efficiency in covering large areas. (Photo: Wingcopter)

Similarly, in the Bahamas, following Hurricane Dorian in 2019, LiDAR surveys revealed the extent of land loss in informal settlements on Abaco island. The exercise underscored how climate disasters compound tenure insecurity: without clear documentation, affected families risked exclusion from aid and resettlement programmes.

Emerging visual positioning systems — integrating satellite signals, inertial sensors and cameras — are pushing this further. These tools allow surveyors to generate real-time 3D point clouds in the field without lengthy post-processing. In the Caribbean, where storm surges repeatedly wipe out coastal properties, governments are piloting such systems to model sea-level rise and assess relocation needs. “The difference,” noted one regional planner, “is that communities can now see projected impacts in 3D, not just on a chart. That changes how people prepare.”

Beyond Counting Losses: Preventing Them

The evolution of cadastral technologies is also shifting attention from compensation to prevention. In Accra, Ghana, mobile mapping systems mounted on vehicles captured street-level imagery of informal neighbourhoods at risk of flash flooding. The resulting dataset informed drainage redesign, which helped reduce flood damage in subsequent rainy seasons.

In South Asia, where monsoon floods displace millions annually, machine learning is being applied to satellite imagery to predict river course shifts and identify high-risk settlements. These predictive models allow authorities to strengthen embankments and guide resettlement before disaster strikes.

Artificial intelligence is similarly being used to monitor fragile ecosystems. In Bangladesh, AI-driven analysis of UAV footage has flagged illegal encroachment into mangroves, which serve as natural flood barriers. By detecting violations early, officials can intervene, protecting not only the ecosystem but also the communities it shields.

The Politics of Data

The politics of L&D finance remain fraught. In March, the United States withdrew from the FRLD’s board, reversing its initial pledge of USD 17.5 million. The move drew condemnation from vulnerable nations and civil society groups, who argue that industrialised countries have a moral and historical responsibility to support those bearing the brunt of climate change.

The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, launched at COP29, faces several hurdles including a notable decommitment and ongoing debates over impact reporting and coordination. (Photo: UNFCCC)

Meanwhile, at the Bonn Climate Conference in June, negotiators wrestled with questions of impact reporting and coordination. The WIM is advancing technical guidelines and climate risk tools, but gaps remain in projecting future scenarios. Here, cadastral and geospatial technologies could help bridge the divide by offering forward-looking assessments rather than retrospective tallies.

Cloud-based platforms are also changing the equation. By hosting cadastral and climate data on accessible servers, governments can share evidence directly with donors and financiers, reducing disputes over figures. After Pakistan’s 2022 floods, digital records supported by drone mapping proved essential in validating claims for urgent financial support.

A Test Case for Belém

As Belém — itself vulnerable to sea-level rise and river flooding — prepares to host COP30, the convergence of law, finance and technology is unmistakable. The tools to quantify, visualise and even reduce loss and damage now exist. The challenge is whether the politics of climate finance will move as quickly as the science.

“The debate is not only about who pays, but also about how we prepare,” said one delegate. “For vulnerable nations, every floodplain mapped, every encroachment detected and every risk modelled is a step toward justice. But justice also requires resources to act on that knowledge.”

COP30 will test whether the international community can match technological progress with political will. If it succeeds, cadastral innovations may not only help secure land and property against climate shocks but also help ensure that when loss is inevitable, damage is neither invisible nor ignored.