Module 5
Collecting evidence, raising
awareness and building partnerships
Country-led environmental and
climate change mainstreaming
(specialist course)
Training materials developed with the support of the European Commission
Tools supporting awareness raising
and partnership building
Preliminary
assessments
Governmental,
institutional
and political
contexts
Developmentenvironmentclimate change
linkages
Understanding
environmental
challenges and
cc science
Assessing
evidence
Climate Change
Vulnerability and
adaptation
assessments
Integrated
Ecosystems
Assessments
Macro and meso
economic
analysis
Engaging key
actors
Awareness
raising &
partnership
building
Communication
& advocacy
strategy
Demonstration
or pilot projects
Adapted from: UNDP-UNEP (2009, 2011)
National
consensus on
and commitment
environmental
and climate
change
mainstreaming
2
Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
• Bridge between science and policy
• Uses of an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment:
– Identify priorities of action and analyse trade-offs
– Provide foresight in relation to the likely consequences
of decisions affecting ecosystems
– Identify response options to achieve human
development and sustainability goals
– Provide a framework and source of tools for
assessment, planning and management
– Act as a benchmark for future assessments and guide
future research
Source: UNDP-UNEP (2009)
3
Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
Endogenous
and
exogenous
drivers
Changes in
ecosystem
services:
Changes in
ecosystem
condition:
•
•
•
Biophysical
Chemical
Biodiversity
•
•
•
•
Provisioning
Regulating
Supporting
Cultural
Human
wellbeing:
•
•
•
Income
Health
Poverty
Evaluating
trade-offs
Intrinsic
value
Adapted from: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
4
Approach to Integrated Ecosystem
Assessment
1. Assessment of conditions and trends in
ecosystems and their services
2. Development of future scenarios
3. Consideration of response options
5
Pilot integrated ecosystem assessment –
Bugesera, Rwanda
Adapted from: UNEP/UNDP/GOR (2007)
Human well-being & poverty reduction
Material well-being: Agricultural
productivity decreases and impacts on
human well-being and poverty.
Health: Poor water & sanitation and water
quality, limited access to IRVs
Security: Deteriorates / fewer resources.
Freedom of choice and action:
Diminishes/limited capacity and access to
resources
Indirect drivers
Demographic: If conditions get very bad
(drought, famine, etc) might be migration;
if rains good then population growth.
Economic: As result of poor health and
productivity, economy weakens
Socio-political: Could become unstable
due to conflict over resources
Cultural: Could increase tensions
depending on availability or resources
Ecosystems & their services
Water: Increase in water stress/ drying up
of lakes, wetlands cultivated, access to
main water supply is limited
Food: Lowered productivity and overall
decrease in food production
Fuel wood: Lack of fuel wood; limited
access to alternative energy sources
Biodiversity: Decline, indigenous species
disappearing, wildlife habitat lost
Direct drivers
Land use: Encroaching and cultivation of
marginal and protected areas.
Water use: Dependency on lakes
unreliable and poor water quality.
Exploitation of wetlands and irrigation
schemes not sustainable.
Pollution: Prevalence of water-borne
diseases bound to increase due to poor
sanitation standards and poor quality.
6
Climate Change vulnerability and
adaptation assessment
• A vulnerability and adaptation assessment
would typically focus on 3 units of analysis:
– Places: land, water, ecosystems, ‘natural capital’ and
‘built infrastructure’
– People: individuals, communities, ‘human capital’,
livelihoods
– Institutions: sectors, organisations, how they relate to
each other, ‘social capital’
• It should assess both current & future vulnerability
to determine possible adaptation measures
Source: Downing & Patwardhan (2004)
7
Steps in community vulnerability &
adaptation assessment
Source: IPCC (2007c)
4th Assessment Report,
WG II - Fig. 16.3
8
Mapping vulnerability
Exhibit 3 – Highly granular geographic information has been used to
segment assets according to their elevation above sea level
Elevation map of central Apia
Elevation
Approach
• Starting point was a
digital map of
Samoa with contour
lines (2m lines in
coastal areas)
• In a second step, a
more granular
segmentation of
coastal areas was
obtained by using
state-of-the-art GIS
software
• Finally, geocoordinates of
buildings and roads,
were used to
determine the asset
exposure to coastal
flooding risk
0m
1m
2m
>4 m
Building
Road
SOURCE: Team analysis
Source: Economics of Climate Adaptation (2009) Test case on Samoa – Focus on
risks caused by sea level rise, Fig. 03, p. 122
9
Macro- and meso-economic
analysis (environment and climate change)
• Economic analysis may be a powerful tool for
motivating policy makers to take action
– Macro level: analysis of the impact environmental
degradation and/or climate change may have on the
national economy
– Meso level: analysis at the level of key sectors or subsectors of the national economy
• The costs of inaction (environmental degradation and/or
climate-related losses) are compared with the net benefits
of taking action (avoided losses minus costs)
• The analysis should also consider the distribution of
losses and benefits (among social groups, regions...)
10
Demonstration projects
Test what
works and
does not work
(relevance,
effectiveness)
Support
lesson
drawing for
adaptive
management
Demonstration/
pilot projects
Help foster
interest and
commitment
of national
authorities &
other
stakeholders
Mobilise
communities,
local/regional
authorities & other
stakeholders
Create motivation
and knowledge
for replication/
scaling-up
Source: UNDP-UNEP (2011)
11
Raising awareness and building
partnerships (1)
• Assessing available evidence:
– using the findings of relevant studies and
demonstration/pilot projects
• Engaging key actors:
– identifying and mobilising key organisations involved in
development at the national and sector levels
– identifying and mobilising ‘champions’
Who might be good
champions?
Are there already
champions?
12
Raising awareness and building
partnerships (2)
• Developing and implementing a communication
and advocacy strategy in support of mainstreaming:
– Define the target audience to be informed or influenced
– Develop policy-relevant messages and materials based on
evidence collected (e.g. policy briefs, radio programmes)
– Select and use appropriate communication channels for
the various target groups (e.g. media, sector working
groups)
13
Discussion and action planning
14
Turning words into action
• Understanding the global environmental challenges
and climate change science
• Collecting evidence, raising awareness and building
partnerships
What can be done and what are the
institutional and capacity needs in
your country / sector of work?
15
Recap – Key messages
• Awareness raising and partnership building help
build consensus and commitment to mainstreaming
• Assess evidence about the state of the environment,
climate change and their impacts as a starting point
– evidence may be available, inter alia, from ecosystem
assessments, vulnerability and adaptation assessments,
economic analysis and demonstration projects
– new evidence may need to be generated
• Strategic approach needed for knowledge management,
communication and advocacy – ‘champions’ play an
important role
• Evidence supports engagement of key actors and the
development of a communication and advocacy strategy
16
Key references
• UNEP (2005) Communicating Sustainability: How to
produce effective public campaigns. United Nations
Environment Programme, Nairobi
• Adaptation Learning Mechanism knowledge-sharing
platform: http://www.adaptationlearning.net/
• Hassan, R; Scholes, E and Ash, N (Eds.) (2005).
Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: findings of the condition
and trends Working Group v.1: Current State and Trends
(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Island Press:
• World Bank – Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change
web pages:
http://climatechange.worldbank.org/content/economicsadaptation-climate-change-study-homepage
17
References
• Downing T. & Patwardhan A. (2004) Assessing Vulnerability for Climate Adaptation. In: Lim B. &
Spanger-Siegfried E. (eds.) (2004) Adaptation Policy Frameworks for Climate Change: Developing
Strategies, Policies and Measures. United Nations Development Programme/Cambridge University
Press, New York. Available from: http://www.undp.org/climatechange/adapt/apf.html
• Economics of Climate Adaptation Working Group (2009) Shaping climate-resilient development: a
framework for decision-making. Climate Works Foundation, Global Environment Facility, European
Commission, McKinsey & Company, The Rockfeller Foundation, Standard Chartered Bank & Swiss
Re. Available from:
http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/Social_Sector/our_practices/Economic_Development/Knowl
edge_Highlights/Economics_of_climate_adaptation.aspx
• IPCC (2007c) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working
Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
[Parry M.L., Canziani O.F., Palutikof J.P., van der Linden P.J. & Hanson C.E. (eds.)]. Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, UK & New York, NY, USA. Available from: www.ipcc.ch
• UNDP-UNEP (2009) Mainstreaming Poverty-Environment Linkages into Development Planning: A
Handbook for Practitioners. UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative. Available from:
http://www.unpei.org/PDF/PEI-full-handbook.pdf
• UNDP-UNEP (2011) Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change into Development Planning: A
Guide for Practitioners. UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative. Available from:
http://www.unpei.org/knowledge-resources/publications.html
• UNEP (2005) Communicating Sustainability: How to produce effective public campaigns. United
Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi. Available from:
http://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0679xPA-CommunicatingEN.pdf
• UNEP, UNDP, GOR (Government of Rwanda) (2007) Pilot Integrated Ecosystem Assessment of
Bugesera.
18