Chapter 1
Evaluating Climate Change Action
for Sustainable Development: Introduction
Juha I. Uitto, Jyotsna Puri, and Rob D. van den Berg
Abstract This chapter considers evaluation as essential for learning and for
reflecting on whether actions to address the complex challenges pertaining to climate
change are on track to producing the desired outcomes. The Paris Agreement of 2015
was an important milestone on the road towards a zero-carbon, resilient, prosperous
and fair future. However, while the world has agreed on the need to tackle climate
change for sustainable development, it is critical to provide evidence-based analysis
of past experiences and ongoing innovations to shed light on how we might enhance
the effectiveness and efficiency of actions at various levels. Thorough and credible
evaluations help us identify what works, for whom, when and where and under what
circumstances in order to mitigate climate change, achieve win-win situations for the
society, the economy and the environment, reduce risk and increase resilience in the
face of changing climate conditions. This chapter serves as an introduction to the
book on Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable Development that sets
the scene on the current state of climate change evaluation and brings together
experiences on evaluating climate change policy, mitigation and adaptation.
Keywords Evaluation • Climate change • Global environment • Mitigation •
Adaptation
Climate change has emerged as one of the preeminent challenges facing humankind
in the twenty first century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states
J.I. Uitto (*)
Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility, Washington, DC, USA
e-mail: juitto@thegef.org
J. Puri
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), New Delhi, India
e-mail: jpuri@3ieimpact.org
R.D. van den Berg
King’s College London and International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS),
Leidschendam, The Netherlands
e-mail: rdwinterberg@gmail.com
© The Author(s) 2017
J.I. Uitto et al. (eds.), Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable
Development, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43702-6_1
1
Evaluating Climate Change Action
for Sustainable Development: Introduction
Juha I. Uitto, Jyotsna Puri, and Rob D. van den Berg
Abstract This chapter considers evaluation as essential for learning and for
reflecting on whether actions to address the complex challenges pertaining to climate
change are on track to producing the desired outcomes. The Paris Agreement of 2015
was an important milestone on the road towards a zero-carbon, resilient, prosperous
and fair future. However, while the world has agreed on the need to tackle climate
change for sustainable development, it is critical to provide evidence-based analysis
of past experiences and ongoing innovations to shed light on how we might enhance
the effectiveness and efficiency of actions at various levels. Thorough and credible
evaluations help us identify what works, for whom, when and where and under what
circumstances in order to mitigate climate change, achieve win-win situations for the
society, the economy and the environment, reduce risk and increase resilience in the
face of changing climate conditions. This chapter serves as an introduction to the
book on Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable Development that sets
the scene on the current state of climate change evaluation and brings together
experiences on evaluating climate change policy, mitigation and adaptation.
Keywords Evaluation • Climate change • Global environment • Mitigation •
Adaptation
Climate change has emerged as one of the preeminent challenges facing humankind
in the twenty first century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states
J.I. Uitto (*)
Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility, Washington, DC, USA
e-mail: juitto@thegef.org
J. Puri
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), New Delhi, India
e-mail: jpuri@3ieimpact.org
R.D. van den Berg
King’s College London and International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS),
Leidschendam, The Netherlands
e-mail: rdwinterberg@gmail.com
© The Author(s) 2017
J.I. Uitto et al. (eds.), Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable
Development, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43702-6_1
1