Embedding climate change into evaluation frameworks

Climate Risks and Financial Stability

Embedding Climate Change in Urban Planning and Urban Design in New York City

Climate change has compounding effects on development, including direct and indirect impacts on food systems and human health. In the Pacific Islands region, the incidence of non-communicable diseases is among the highest in the world. Additionally, in policy documents, climate change features prominently among the issues most responsible for hindering development in the Pacific. Global discussions are now shifting towards a greater understanding and emphasis on the links between climate change, food systems, nutrition, health, and development. While these links are increasingly appreciated in research and practice, there is a need to understand which types of policy frameworks are best suited to address these issues in an integrated manner. This study was conducted by analyzing policy alignment and coherence in national level strategic planning instruments (policies, plans, and strategies) for two countries in the Pacific Islands region: Fiji and Vanuatu. Documents in the policy domains of development, agriculture, nutrition, health, and climate change were assessed to identify evidence of vertical (national to local), horizontal (between sectors), and integration across different thematic policy approaches (e.g. between economic development sustainable development approaches). By deconstructing the aims of different planning approaches and documents, and by mapping the relationships among them, it is possible to identify opportunities and gaps in the policy architecture that could be addressed in future planning cycles. The study identifies that policy alignment and coherence need to be explicitly addressed in the policy and planning design stage and included in monitoring and evaluation frameworks. The study also highlights the lag in the design and implementation of comprehensive food and nutrition security strategies in both countries and these lags can be linked to policy solutions for agriculture, health, and climate change. Key policy insights There is a need to explicitly consider policy alignment in the design stages of the policy cycle and set policy coherence as an explicit outcome to also be included in monitoring and evaluation frameworks. A lack of consideration of vertical, horizontal, and approach integration in planning and policy processes can lead to failures in the implementation of climate policy, thus delaying countries’ efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pacific Island countries have an opportunity to work towards use of policy frameworks that are able to provide comprehensive responses to the compounding effects of climate change on food systems, diets, health, and, more broadly, on development.

7-1-7: an organising principle, target, and accountability metric to make the world safer from pandemics

While recent studies have demonstrated that biochar supplementation to the cement mixture positively impacted the concrete mechanical properties, there is a research gap in exploring various environmental burdens, human health impacts, and resource consumption patterns accompanying biochar-concrete composite manufacturing. Hence, this study introduces a novel evaluation framework by integrating biochar-concrete properties, life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria, and economic considerations with sustainable development goals (SDGs) achievement. The control mix (C mix) was prepared using 100% cement, and the other mixtures were arranged using different sludge biochar (SB) replacement levels (5–20% w/w). A LCA model was employed to select the best sludge valorization approach, regarding two scenarios: (i) cement mixture (C mix) with sludge landfilling, and (ii) sludge biochar mixture (SB mix). The 5% SB mixture exhibited functional characteristics nearly comparable to those of the C mix, particularly in terms of compressive strength at 7 and 28 days, split tensile strength (3.5 MPa at 28 days), water penetration depth (≈ 2.8 mm), and durability. Applying this mixture in concrete maintained LCA endpoint categories of 0.005 DALY, 3.7 × 10 3 PDF m 2 yr, 7 × 10 3 kg CO 2 eq, and 70.6 × 10 3 MJ primary for human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources, respectively. This mixture scenario could also fulfill 11 SDGs, including human health protection (SDG_3), resource recovery (SDG_12), climate change mitigation (SDG_13), and ecosystem preservation (SDG_14). Because the combined technical/LCA/SDG framework could maintain a sludge management approach for biochar-concrete industrialization, future work should focus on quantifying other scenarios related to energy, climate, urbanization, transport, and low-carbon cement development. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract shows a novel evaluation framework by integrating biochar-concrete properties, life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria, and economic considerations with sustainable development goals (SDGs) achievement. The control mix (C mix) was prepared using 100% cement, and the other mixtures were arranged using different sludge biochar (SB) replacement levels (5–20% w/w).

How are climate change concerns addressed by spatial plans? An evaluation framework, and an application to Indian cities

(Re)Conceptualising Maladaptation in Policy and Practice: Towards an Evaluative Framework

The process of developing policies and laws that apply to energy the manufacturing, distribution, and consumption phases systems is known as energy system policy-making. Energy policies are important in directing the growth and evolution of energy systems, providing security of supply, promoting sustainability, and helping to mitigate climate change. Energy sector development is critical for societal advancement, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. It incorporates a wide range of potential energy sources such as nuclear power, energy from renewable sources, along with fossil fuels (including sunlight, breeze, water, as well as natural gas). To cut greenhouse gas emissions, battle climate change, and achieve an environmentally friendly and less costly energy future, the world must prioritize the transition to a more resilient and sustainable energy system. The formulation of energy system policy involves a variety of stakeholders, including governments, regulatory bodies, energy companies, industry groups, environmental protection organizations, and the general public. These stakeholders collaborate to establish the objectives of energy policy, develop strategies, and implement the plans. energy system policy is critical in combating climate change due to how it encourages the use all energy produced from renewable sources, efforts to improve energy efficiency, and low-carbon technology. in order to attain aggressive emission reduction targets, research in this sector can give knowledge on effective policy formulation, implementation tactics, and evaluation frameworks. as the world progresses approaching an economy with fewer greenhouse gases, it is critical to understand the causes, impediments, and consequences of the shift to cleaner energy. research can assist identify the optimum governance structures, market mechanisms, and regulatory frameworks for facilitating the changeover to renewable energy sources while achieving carbon reduction goals. access to affordable, dependable energy services is essential for socioeconomic development and the eradication of poverty. research has the potential to shed light on the financial plans and legislative frameworks that might increase access to energy, especially in neglected areas, while addressing concerns of poverty and inequality. In order for the energy system to keep up with technological advancement, policy makers must encourage the use of cutting-edge energy technology. research may give decision-makers knowledge about emerging technologies, prospective implications, and the regulatory frameworks necessary to promote their acceptance and integration into the energy system. In this research we will be using weighted sum method. Clean fossil fuel power generation, natural gas combined cycles (ngcc), integrated gasifier combined cycles (igcc), improved transmission and distribution systems, decentralized power-fuel cells, decentralized power-micro-turbines. Evaluation parameters: impact on energy and carbon intensity, impact on security, impact on energy security, status and technological potential, barriers to commercial use. Result: the WSM method of Ranking Energy System Policy Making in Natural Gas Combined Cycles (NGCC) is got the first rank whereas is the Decentralised Power-fuel Cells is having the Lowest rank. The WSM method of Ranking Energy System Policy Making in Natural Gas Combined Cycles (NGCC) is got the first rank whereas is the Decentralised Power-fuel Cells is having the Lowest rank.

Balancing the goals of sustainable planning under climate and land use change (CLUC) with ecosystem service functions is a huge challenge for the management and programming of protected areas today. We construct a new evaluation framework towards the perspectives of sustainable land management based on the choice experiment (CE) model, and apply it to investigate the public’s preferences for the forest parks in Taiwan. This study found that implementing organic farming, increasing species populations, increasing the acreage of secondary forest area, and developing an integrated framework for ecotourism would best satisfy the public’s preferences for sustainable land use management. Second, we identify that the heterogeneity of the public’s preferences for forest park management varies depending on whether individuals are (1) members of environmental groups, (2) agricultural landowners, and (3) residents of the municipality. Third, we find integrated land use programs generate the highest welfare values among scenarios comprising different financial attributes.

Effect of climate and socioeconomic changes on future surface water availability from mountainous water sources in Pakistan's Upper Indus Basin

With the continual expansion of global urbanization and population growth, urban energy demands have intensified, and anthropogenic activities have precipitated profound shifts in the global climate. These climatic changes directly alter urban environmental conditions, which in turn exert indirect effects on human physiological function. Consequently, the comfort of outdoor community environments has emerged as a critical metric for assessing the quality of human habitation. Although existing studies have focused on improving singular environmental factors—such as wind or thermal comfort—they often lack an integrated, multi-factor coupling mechanism, and adaptive strategy systems tailored to hot-summer, cold-winter regions remain underdeveloped. This study examines the Minhe Community in Qian’an City to develop a performance evaluation framework for outdoor spaces grounded in subjective comfort and to close the loop from theoretical formulation to empirical validation via an interdisciplinary approach. We first synthesized 25 environmental factors across eight categories—including wind, thermal, and lighting parameters—and applied the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to establish factor weights, thereby constructing a comprehensive model that encompasses both physiological and psychological requirements. Field surveys, meteorological data collection, and ENVI-met (V5.1.1) microclimate simulations revealed pronounced issues in the community’s wind distribution, thermal comfort, and acoustic environment. In response, we proposed adaptive interventions—such as stratified vegetation design and permeable pavement installations—and validated their efficacy through further simulation. Post-optimization, the community’s overall comfort score increased from 4.64 to 5.62, corresponding to an efficiency improvement of 21.3%. The innovative contributions of this research are threefold: (1) transcending the limitations of single-factor analyses by establishing a multi-dimensional, coupled evaluation framework; (2) integrating AHP with ENVI-met simulation to realize a fully quantified “evaluation–simulation–optimization” workflow; and (3) proposing adaptive strategies with broad applicability for the retrofit of communities in hot-summer, cold-winter climates, thereby offering a practical technical pathway for urban microclimate enhancement.

Effective multi-risk management requires a thorough understanding of the context to design strategies that mitigate the impacts of external hazards on physical and human systems. However, the effectiveness of policies in areas affected by catastrophic events can usually only be evaluated after the event.This study, conducted within the PNRR RETURN Extended Partnership (multi-Risk sciEnce for resilienT commUnities undeR a changiNg climate), presents an inductive methodology for developing indicators to ex-ante assess the effectiveness of multi-risk management practices. The methodology identifies promising indicators from the priorities of five international frameworks addressing Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). These frameworks serve as references for defining good practices in urban and metropolitan environments.The indicators were developed through collaboration between experts from Spoke 5 - TS1 “Urban and Metropolitan Settlements” and Spoke 3 - VS3 “Earthquakes and Volcanoes.” A total of 132 indicators were identified, grouped into nine thematic criteria, and classified based on their applicability, measurability, and alignment with the stages of the Sendai Framework for DRR. These indicators enable the classification of existing practices by type, scale, and field of application.To define a “Good Practice”, it is essential to identify a core set of indicators, or essentials, that must be strictly adhered to. To achieve this, the methodology incorporates a multidisciplinary approach where project experts assign a relevance scale to the 132 indicators based on their expertise. These relevance scales are weighted using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), employing the Simos card-ranking method to elicit preferences and establish priorities.The results of this process will be applied in two key areas: Spoke 5 - TS1for developing a ‘Repository of Good Practices for Multi-Risk Management in Urban and Metropolitan Environments’ and Spoke 3 - VS3 for Organising heterogeneous geospatial data (topographic, environmental, social, economic) in a GIS environment to support MCDA for comparing resilience scenarios.By integrating the core indicators with quantitative indicators derived from scenario-driven impact models, the project will inform the design of multi-objective intervention strategies to enhance resilience.

Business models have the potential to deliver environmental sustainability in companies through innovative approaches to creating and delivering value. Business model innovation has been shown as a means to integrate circular economy principles into companies' operations. Several frameworks have been created to guide the transition from traditional to circular business models. However, there is a need for a framework that quantitatively evaluates business models to inform the transition based on their relative environmental performance in creating and delivering value. This study presents a new framework for evaluating the Environmental performance of Business Models (EBuM). The EBuM framework consists of sequential steps of life cycle assessment, participatory decision-making, and business model innovation. It enables organisations to integrate environmental considerations in their decisions and operations. The framework was applied to solar energy companies in Kenya. Life cycle assessments of the photovoltaic systems were conducted through the lens of business models of participating companies to provide insights into the hotspots of environmental impacts. Each company participated in two workshops to evaluate the potential of business model innovation in mitigating the environmental impacts of their activities. Findings showed that the environmental impacts of incumbent business models were generally higher than of their circular economy-oriented substitutes. Business model innovation could, for example, lower the climate change potential by 12 %–55 % and the metal depletion potential by 40 %–70 %. While the framework has been applied to solar energy companies, it can be applied to other business models in different sectors.

Rapid urbanization and climate change are two grand challenges faced by many cities in pursuing sustainable urban development. While ecosystem-based adaptation practices are increasingly recognized and adopted across the world as an important urban development strategy, their effective implementation in diverse biophysical conditions and development contexts is of interest, requiring scientific research and learning. This paper presents the case of China in implementing an ecosystem-based approach – sponge city development – to address the water-related challenges of urbanization and climate change. It draws on the literature to synthesize understanding of the interaction between the urban landscape, urban development, and ecosystem services, and proposes mainstreaming an ecosystem service framework in spatial planning and performance evaluation to guide ecosystem-based adaption practices. Focusing on China’s practice, the paper develops a five-step procedure for operationalizing and mainstreaming ecosystem services so as to improve policy implementation for sponge city development. This paper aims to provide a practical perspective to help enhance ecosystem-based adaptation in urban development to better address the challenges of urbanization and climate change. Key policy insights Cities are increasingly looking into ecosystem-based adaptation, as an integrated part of urban development, to increase resilience to climate change and to promote urban sustainability. China’s experience with implementing a national initiative called sponge city development contributes to learning and an understanding of ecosystem-based adaptation practices to address urbanization and climate change challenges. Existing literature shows the need and potential for an ecosystem service framework to guide spatial planning and performance evaluation for ecosystem-based adaptation. China is in a unique position to mainstream an ecosystem service framework in sponge city development to improve current practice and to promote climate-resilient and ecosystem-integrated urban development. A five-step empirical procedure outlines a systematic approach for mainstreaming ecosystem services, contributing to the literature and policy practice to build urban resilience and sustainability in the face of urbanization and climate change.

Despite the growing literature on climate change adaptation across diverse academic fields, a significant research gap persists in the documented synthesis of concrete adaptation actions implemented on the ground. The current lack of synthesized documentation hinders effective learning across diverse contexts and limits the development of robust adaptation strategies, especially due to existing monitoring and evaluation frameworks that often rely on high-level, broad categorizations that obscure the true mechanisms of change. This paper directly addresses this under-explored area by analyzing community-level flood resilience interventions undertaken by the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (ZFRA) in 19 countries between 2019 and 2024. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we identify seven emergent intervention categories, encompassing infrastructure and physical improvements, community engagement and knowledge building, community flood resilience planning, community action groups, nature-based solutions, asset protection and diversification, and early warning systems. We examine these intervention categories in relation to the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework’s five capitals and the crucial resilience capacities of absorptive, adaptive, and transformative abilities. Our analysis demonstrates that interventions within the same broad category can have vastly different functionalities, impacting diverse capitals and contributing to varying resilience stocks (capital) and process (capacities) – suggesting a shift away from monitoring and evaluating interventions through broad, aggregated categorizations. This study underscores the importance of considering the interplay between different intervention types and the various dimensions of community resilience, offering valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of adaptation efforts and bridge the persistent gap between adaptation planning and tangible action on the ground.