This handbook aspires to become a key instrument and reference for future studies and action on loss and damage from climate change. It provides hands-on tools for gathering data in the field. A proper assessment of loss and damage from climate-related disasters includes measuring what is measurable and understanding what is not measurable. A key principle of this book is that understanding loss and damage, with the aim of eventually minimizing it, is more important than just measuring it. We define loss and damage as adverse effects of climate-related stressors that occur despite mitigation and adaptation. Hence, assessing loss and damage is not just about measuring and evaluating what is lost or damaged, but also about understanding how and why actors incur loss and damage. This requires a better understanding of adaptation costs, limits and constraints, which this handbook provides the tools for. An early version of this methodological handbook has been tested in Nepal, Pakistan and India in 2015. The final version has been refined and enriched with examples from this last round of fieldwork. The handbook provides a conceptual introduction, followed by chapters on research design, research instruments, data entry, analysis and reporting, and finally a chapter with practical information about the financial, human and material resources needed for a loss and damage assessment.