Evaluating environmental sustainability and climate change

Moderator

• Ketevan Nozadze, GEI/World Bank Group, Evaluation Officer

Panelists

• Andy Rowe, Footprint Evaluation, Canada, Independent Consultant 
• Camille Spencer, Ministry of Planning and Development, Trinidad and Tobago, Programme Director, M&E
• Eddy Garcia, Ministry of Planning, Costa Rica, Head of Evaluation Unit
• Gensuo Jia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, China, Professor
• Lei Tian, Energy Research Institute, Academy of Macroeconomics Research, China, Deputy Director

Discussion Themes

• There is a strong need to understand interconnections and linkages between climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation in programming. Incorporating the environment into evaluation is crucial to understanding our world and solutions to the big problems we face.
• New technologies can provide better data and information to support science and policy evaluation. There is a need for a systematic view that considers the synergies and trade-offs between environmental factors to support evidence-based policymaking.
• Many countries still struggle to integrate climate targets into national evaluations due to a lack of political will and understanding of co-benefits.
• Integrating climate change and environmental considerations into evaluation includes cross-sectoral coordination, adaptive approaches, and innovative frameworks to address interconnected global and local challenges, promote resilience, and ensure equitable, long-term impact.
• Achieving sustainable development and climate goals depends on strengthening institutional capacities, leveraging advanced technologies and fostering partnerships between national and international stakeholders. A culture of learning and collaboration is vital to drive timely, evidence-based action in the face of urgent global challenges.
• Countries such as South Africa are integrating environmental indicators into their results framework, while others such as Trinidad and Tobago have directly linked environmental sustainability with their national development plan—including the results therein.