Building the Foundations for Effective Climate Action
The work of the Evidence for Climate Solutions (ECS) group addresses a critical gap in the fight against climate change: the lack of robust, decision-relevant evidence on what solutions work, under what conditions, and why. Our mission is to build and strengthen the knowledge base needed to guide transformative climate action that is effective, efficient, and equitable.
Through innovative methods, we aim to systematically map and review the scientific evidence on climate solutions. By doing so, we help researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners navigate the complexity around climate solutions with confidence and clarity.
Our Work
What Climate Policies Work - and Why
We comprehensively evaluate climate policies across a range of outcomes—such as emissions reductions, equity, and economic viability—and in diverse contexts. One of our key methods is to apply evidence synthesis to aggregate results from policy impact evaluations from dozens to hundreds of individual studies. In doing so, we are able to provide actionable insights on what solutions work, where and why.
Climate Health and Nexus
Our research explores how climate policies intersect with public health, offering evidence to shape policies that maximize co-benefits. From improving air quality to mitigating heatwaves, we identify pathways to protect both human well-being and the planet.
Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies
We examine the potentials and challenges of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies for achieving net-zero emissions. Our work covers the governance, ethics and social acceptability of CDR, and how innovation systems for these nascent technologies can enable pathways of responsible and equitable upscaling.
Climate Change Discourses and Political Economy
Through innovative computational social science, we contribute to advancing the understanding of climate policy and technology discourses. Our work ranges from empirically analyzing climate delay narratives to debunking misinformation and using large-scale social media data to uncover public attitudes toward emerging technologies.
Our Methods
AI-Powered Evidence Synthesis
We are pioneers in using artificial intelligence to accelerate and scale evidence synthesis, making it faster and more cost-effective, while ensuring high quality standards through thorough evaluation.
Living Evidence for Climate Solutions
There is a disconnect between the demand for the best and most recent evidence on climate solutions by decision-makers and the provision of this evidence by scientists. To match the pace of scientific discovery with the urgency of decision-making, we develop and promote methods for living evidence: Automated procedures that continually update our syntheses reflecting the latest research.
Computational Social Science
We develop and apply a broad range of computational social science methods to provide a deeper understanding of societal and political dynamics shaping climate action. Machine learning, natural language processing and network analysis enable us to gain insights for example into innovation dynamics of new climate technologies and narratives about climate and energy policy.
Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions
We track global, national and sectoral trends and drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - using national GHG inventories as well as third party datasets. This data is instrumental for evaluating progress towards global and national climate goals, as well for understanding the impact of policies on reducing emissions.
Our Flagship Contributions
What Works Climate Solution Initiative
We are initiators of the What Works Climate Solutions Initiative, which emerged around the inaugural What Works Climate Solutions Summit held in Berlin in June 2024. This initiative brings together leading experts, policymakers, and institutions to promote and catalyze synthetic evidence on climate solutions. The initiative aims to inform upcoming climate change assessments, particularly the IPCC’s 7th Assessment Report, and to enhance evidence-based climate policy through an inclusive co-production approach.
State of CDR Report
As co-founders of the State of CDR Report, we provide an authoritative resource that synthesizes global data on carbon dioxide removal. This report supports researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with comprehensive insights into the state of progress in this emerging field.
Laying the Groundwork for Science Assessments
ECS plays a leading role in major science assessments, such as the IPCC reports, UNEP Emissions Gap Report, and the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. Our work ensures these assessments are grounded in the best available evidence.
Join us in Shaping Climate Solutions
The challenges of climate action demand more than just good intentions—they require a solid evidence on what works and why. At ECS, we are proud to be part of an emerging "What Works" movement for climate action. Through collaboration and innovation, we aim to empower global decision-makers with the tools and knowledge they need to create a sustainable future. Get in touch, if you want to learn more or get involved!
Head
Jan Minx
