External publications

COP 31: West Africa’s climate plans put a price on ruined roads and crops – how to add invisible losses

Okunola, Olasunkanmi Habeeb / Susan S. Ekoh
External Publications (2026)

published on theconversation.com, 08.11.2026

Volltext/Full text

When a flood destroys a road, government officials can estimate the cost of rebuilding it. When drought ruins a harvest, lost income can be calculated. But how should a country record or measure the loss of a sacred place? Or the emotional strain that people experience when they are displaced from their homes by a climate-related disaster, the breakdown of community bonds, or a child’s lost sense of safety?

About the IDOS author

Further IDOS experts