unequivocally that there has been an unprecedented warming of the global climate
system since the 1950s and that this warming has been influenced by human actions
(IPCC 2015). The anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases have increased
constantly since the pre-industrial level, driven largely by economic and population
growth, and are now at the highest historical peak. The impacts of the climate
change will affect – and are already affecting – all people and parts of the world
often in negative and sometimes unexpected ways. Urgent and concerted action is
required to address climate challenges through mitigation efforts as well as through
improving the ways in which societies and the global economic system adapt to the
effects of climate change. Actions have been initiated on multiple fronts. What is
needed is evidence-informed understanding of the effectiveness and efficiency of
such actions. Therefore, robust evaluation is a must. That is what this book
focuses on.
The year 2015 was a historic turning point for global action on climate change.
The Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) was adopted by the Conference of Parties in its 21st Session.
1 The Paris
Agreement is a binding commitment intended to set the world on a path towards a
zero-carbon, resilient, prosperous and fair future. In 2015, the plan of action called
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its associated Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) was also adopted by member States of the United
Nations.
2 The seventeen SDGs are universal and share a common global vision of
progress towards a safe, just and sustainable space for all human beings. They
reflect the moral principles that no one and no country should be left behind and that
everyone and every country should share a common responsibility for delivering
the global vision. Specifically goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts, recognizing the key linkages of climate change to development and human wellbeing. Goal 13 also refers to the UNFCCC as the global
forum to tackle climate change. Also in 2015, the Third UN Conference on Disaster
Reduction in the Japanese city of Sendai adopted the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Reduction 2015–2030 which also identifies climate change as one of the
drivers of increased disaster risk.
3 All these political commitments at the global
level demonstrate the urgent concern of the international community and individual
governments for climate change and its direct impacts on sustainable development.
Impacts of changing climate express themselves in a multitude of ways.
4
Already now melting snow and ice, and changing precipitation patterns are altering
hydrological systems affecting water resources quantity, quality and continuity, as
1 Adoption of the Paris Agreement. Conference of the Parties Twenty-first session, Paris,
30 November to 11 December 2015. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change. FCCC/CP/2015/L.9/Rev.1. (https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.
pdf, downloaded 8 April 2016).
2 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs (downloaded 8 April 2016).
3 http://www.preventionweb.net/files/43291_sendaiframeworkfordrren.pdf (downloaded 8 April 2016).
4 Unless otherwise indicated, this section is based on IPCC 2015.
2
J.I. Uitto et al.
system since the 1950s and that this warming has been influenced by human actions
(IPCC 2015). The anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases have increased
constantly since the pre-industrial level, driven largely by economic and population
growth, and are now at the highest historical peak. The impacts of the climate
change will affect – and are already affecting – all people and parts of the world
often in negative and sometimes unexpected ways. Urgent and concerted action is
required to address climate challenges through mitigation efforts as well as through
improving the ways in which societies and the global economic system adapt to the
effects of climate change. Actions have been initiated on multiple fronts. What is
needed is evidence-informed understanding of the effectiveness and efficiency of
such actions. Therefore, robust evaluation is a must. That is what this book
focuses on.
The year 2015 was a historic turning point for global action on climate change.
The Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) was adopted by the Conference of Parties in its 21st Session.
1 The Paris
Agreement is a binding commitment intended to set the world on a path towards a
zero-carbon, resilient, prosperous and fair future. In 2015, the plan of action called
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its associated Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) was also adopted by member States of the United
Nations.
2 The seventeen SDGs are universal and share a common global vision of
progress towards a safe, just and sustainable space for all human beings. They
reflect the moral principles that no one and no country should be left behind and that
everyone and every country should share a common responsibility for delivering
the global vision. Specifically goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts, recognizing the key linkages of climate change to development and human wellbeing. Goal 13 also refers to the UNFCCC as the global
forum to tackle climate change. Also in 2015, the Third UN Conference on Disaster
Reduction in the Japanese city of Sendai adopted the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Reduction 2015–2030 which also identifies climate change as one of the
drivers of increased disaster risk.
3 All these political commitments at the global
level demonstrate the urgent concern of the international community and individual
governments for climate change and its direct impacts on sustainable development.
Impacts of changing climate express themselves in a multitude of ways.
4
Already now melting snow and ice, and changing precipitation patterns are altering
hydrological systems affecting water resources quantity, quality and continuity, as
1 Adoption of the Paris Agreement. Conference of the Parties Twenty-first session, Paris,
30 November to 11 December 2015. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change. FCCC/CP/2015/L.9/Rev.1. (https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.
pdf, downloaded 8 April 2016).
2 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs (downloaded 8 April 2016).
3 http://www.preventionweb.net/files/43291_sendaiframeworkfordrren.pdf (downloaded 8 April 2016).
4 Unless otherwise indicated, this section is based on IPCC 2015.
2
J.I. Uitto et al.