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When Do Climate Services Achieve Societal Impact? Evaluations of Actionable Climate Adaptation Science

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  • Aparna Bamzai-Dodson

    (U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
    Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73071, USA)

  • Renee A. McPherson

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73071, USA
    U.S. Geological Survey South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Norman, OK 73071, USA)

Abstract

To cope with complex environmental impacts in a changing climate, researchers are increasingly being asked to produce science that can directly support policy and decision making. To achieve such societal impact, scientists are using climate services to engage directly with stakeholders to better understand their needs and inform knowledge production. However, the wide variety of climate-services outcomes—ranging from establishing collegial relationships with stakeholders to obtaining specific information for inclusion into a pre-existing decision process—do not directly connect to traditional methods of measuring scientific impact (e.g., publication citations, journal impact factor). In this paper, we describe how concepts from the discipline of evaluation can be used to examine the societal impacts of climate services. We also present a case study from climate impacts and adaptation research to test a scalable evaluation approach. Those who conduct research for the purposes of climate services and those who fund applied climate research would benefit from evaluation from the beginning of project development. Doing so will help ensure that the approach, data collection, and data analysis are appropriately conceived and executed.

Suggested Citation

  • Aparna Bamzai-Dodson & Renee A. McPherson, 2022. "When Do Climate Services Achieve Societal Impact? Evaluations of Actionable Climate Adaptation Science," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14026-:d:955751
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Gigi Owen & Daniel B. Ferguson & Ben McMahan, 2019. "Contextualizing climate science: applying social learning systems theory to knowledge production, climate services, and use-inspired research," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 151-170, November.
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    5. Doemeland, Doerte & Trevino, James, 2014. "Which World Bank reports are widely read ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6851, The World Bank.
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