Impact Evaluation of the GEF Support to Climate Change Mitigation: Transforming Markets in Major Emerging Economies 

Impact Evaluation of the GEF Support to Climate Change Mitigation: Transforming Markets in Major Emerging Economies is underway. The evaluation is expected to be completed by April 2013. The evaluation is being undertaken as an input to the Fifth Overall Performance Study (OPS5). The findings and recommendations of the evaluation would also be presented to the GEF Council within the framework of Evaluation Office’s annual report on impact.

 
This impact evaluation will assess the extent, and will advance understanding of how, GEF-supported climate change mitigation activities are transforming climate change mitigation relevant markets in major emerging economies.   Major emerging economies have been chosen as a focus primarily because compared to other countries, any improvement over the baseline course in major emerging economies, given size of the markets and an increasing trend in energy demand is likely to lead to greater absolute green house gas emission reductions.

The approach paper outlining the evaluation’s objectives and key questions as well as its approach and methodology can be found here.

Background
Since GEF’s inception, it has provided funding support for climate change. As part of its climate change focal area programs and strategies, GEF has addressed concerns related to mitigation and adaptation. Nonetheless, its focus in terms of funding provided through the GEF trust fund has primarily been on climate change mitigation. Up to August 2011 GEF had provided a funding of USD 9.12 billion for generation of global environmental benefits. Of this, USD 3.04 billion had been provided for climate change mitigation related activities.

Evaluation
This impact evaluation is aimed at comparative assessment of the extent and ways in which GEF is transforming climate change mitigation relevant markets in major emerging economies. It would try to understand the causal mechanisms that affect market transformation, the reduction in green house gas emissions that happens as a result of market transformation, and the lessons that could be learnt from experiences in major emerging economies. This evaluation will
• Assess contributions of GEF-supported activities to green house gas emission reduction
• Assess progress made by GEF-supported activities towards transforming markets for climate change mitigation
• Ascertain the impact pathways and factors affecting further progress toward market transformation.
The fieldwork of the evaluation will cover China, India, Mexico, and Russia.

For more information about this evaluation you can email to gefevaluation@thegef.org with ‘CCM Impact Evaluation’ in the subject line.

About photo:  Construction site with a solar-power street light in front, Tianjin, China.  Yang Aijun / World Bank