How the local speak louder to the national and global! How can Irish Aid focus on climate resilience and poverty issues in LDCs? How the local speak louder to the national and global!

Discussion topics Current focus and evidence of climate effects Two parts of the same approach – ‘minimise development losses due to climate’ and ‘maximise contributions to adaptive capacity’ How will we know if climate integration is working – the difficulty of counterfactuals A proposal to get the local to speak to the national and global

Current focus and evidence of climate effects How does Irish Aid currently contribute to poverty reduction: Social protection Hunger Gender To what extent is climate variability constraining poverty reduction – what and where is the evidence?

Development deficits and climate adaptation deficits and gaps We at this stage. We need to prepare now for adaptation specific measures that strengthen development interventions. Learning platform to generate evidence.

Two parts of the same approach Adaptation initiatives fall into three broad categories: addressing the existing ‘adaptation deficit’ managing incremental changes in climate-related risks proactively addressing the more profound longer term manifestations and impacts of climate change by transforming or replacing existing systems and practices Minimise development losses due to climate Maximise contributions to adaptive capacity

Evidence for learning Minimise development losses due to climate Requires a monitoring of climate challenges and an assessment of losses. Maximise contributions to adaptive capacity Also requires a monitoring of climate challenges Also an assessment of how well climate risks are managed Adaptive capacity is difficult to measure – but we can use evaluation methods to show how vulnerability levels change and how socio-economic development responses

Assessing climate challenges in Ethiopia The frequency of heavy fall, which is greater than 30mm within one day, shows: however that more frequent heavy falls recorded during the period 1982 till 2000 and from 2006 till now where the average rainfall is belong normal. And less frequent heavy falls during the period from 2000 till 2006 which are on average normal years. It can be concluded that during dry periods there is a frequent occurrence of heavy falls which result in flash floods and damage to crops, vegetables, livestock and infrastructure

How will we know if climate integration is working – difficulties of the ‘counterfactual’ Local theories of change – how does rainwater harvesting contribute to development and climate resilience Reduced work load of fetching water Kitchen gardening, animal rearing or other economic activity Increased income + food security Socio-economic and human development AND Resilience to climate variability Rain water harvesting Higher school enrolment + retention Water available for latrines at homes and schools Increased water availability at HH/ Community levels Improved health Health units functional

Study design Sites: Chitra Topi, Bagh Nathigali, Abbotabad Population: Treated Control Sampling: Random sampling Evaluation Difference in Difference

Girls in Water Fetching School Going Girls in Water Fetching * (Bagh) Groups Before RWH After RWH Difference Treated 1.8 0.8 -1 Control 1.2 0.6 -1.6 School Going Girls in Water Fetching * (Nathigali) 1.5 1 -0.5 1.4 0.2 0.3 -0.4 -0.7 *No. of school going age girls involved in water fetching

Saved health costs per HH Per month medical cost of the whole household (Rs. In Bagh) Groups Before RWH After RWH Difference Treated 2158 1316 -842 Control 1860 3327 1467 298 -2011 -2309 Per month medical cost of the whole household (Rs. In Nathigali) 3191 1865 -1326 3414 4800 1386 223 2935 -2712

Socio-Economic Development Rainwater Harvesting Adaptation deficit Potential Indicators Livelihood Income/Saving from Kitchen Gardening and Livestock (Rs/month) Health Reduction in Expenditure on Health (Rs/month) Education Reduction in Absenteeism due to water fetching (days/child/month) Under circumsta-nces of increasing rainfall variability

A proposal to get the local to speak to the national and global Possible case studies that can be developed under the auspices of the Learning Platform to assess how development interventions contribute to climate adaptive capacity of the poor: Malawi – different energy access projects Mozambique - water security projects Ethiopia – soil and water conservation approaches, linking farmers and researchers Tanzania - support to pastoralists Liberia, S.L. - WASH Use the case study evidence to inform the Learning Platform and Irish Aid development programming Collate the case studies into reports for UN HL Summit, COPs 20 and 21, Countries’ contributions to 2015 agreement