About the event

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, yet rigorous evidence on how to address it is not informing the large public investments flowing into climate action.  Analysis from the Center for Global Development suggests only a tiny fraction of almost USD100 billion in annual public finance is supported by rigorous evidence on what works, for whom, and at what cost. 

The cost of failure is potentially catastrophic, and that makes investing in evidence-informed climate action a cheap insurance policy that we can no longer afford to ignore.

This Evidence Dialogues series, convened by 3ie and partners, brings together experts to take stock of where the field stands and to ask, collectively, what it will take to build a stronger, more inclusive evidence ecosystem for climate action. Through three sessions, we explore what current evidence tells us, why building support for rigorous evaluation has proven so difficult, and how the field can work together to strengthen demand for evidence and embed it in climate decision-making. 

The series is designed to stimulate the cross-sector dialogue and collective action that the climate evidence agenda urgently needs. This really is a time when trusted evidence on what works is needed more than ever.

Our series is a catalyst for a broad, field-wide effort to strengthen the evidence ecosystem for climate action. The climate evidence field has the knowledge, the networks, and the momentum to do much better – and this Evidence Dialogues series is our invitation to make that change happen together.

State of the evidence on climate: what works, what doesn't, and where are the gaps?

Time: 10AM-11:00AM EST / 3:00PM- 4:00PM BST / 7:30PM- 8:30PM IST

Close to USD100 billion of public finance is invested in climate interventions every year — in forest protection, clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, and resilience-building — but do we know what works, for whom and at what cost? 

The series opens by taking stock of the evolving evidence base across climate-related sectors in low- and middle-income countries, unpacking where research is gaining traction and where critical gaps remain. We draw on existing impact evaluations, synthesis work, and evidence maps to explore what evidence exists and what it is telling us.

Climate evidence should be used to drive better decisions today. In this first session, participants examine the case for greater ambition, coordination and strategic investment to fill the gaps that matter most for people and the environment.

Potential panelists:
  • Martin Prowse, University of East Anglia, Climate evaluation and evidence specialist, editor of the recent Climate Evidence Reviews series;
  • Jan Minx, What Works for Climate Solutions / PIK, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research — a leading figure in systematic evidence synthesis for climate policy, bringing a broader perspective on what the field has produced and where it falls short;
  • Kelsey Jack, Co-Chair, J-PAL Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, including the King Climate Action Initiative.
  • Éliane Ubalijoro, CIFOR-ICRAF — CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, a Rwandan-Canadian scientist with deep expertise in forestry, land use and climate evidence in Africa;
  • Rose Mutiso, Founder and Executive Director of the African Tech Futures Lab — Kenyan energy researcher and Research Director at the Energy for Growth Hub, whose work focuses on energy access and poverty in Africa.