Measuring progress in adapting to a changing climate: Insights from OECD countries

Building on a cross-country survey and country case studies carried out in Chile, Korea, the Slovak Republic and the United Kingdom, this report provides insights into current OECD country practices in measuring climate adaptation. It proposes a framework that can guide countries on what needs to be measured and how, and discusses the role that adaptation indicators and a conducive institutional environment can play in strengthening adaptation measurement.

Measuring adaptation progress is complex and cannot be captured in a single metric. The OECD’s work on adaptation measurement seeks to support countries in capturing the complexity of adaptation and to help demonstrate the impact of adaptation actions over time. The OECD’s approach to adaptation measurement goes beyond the project or programme level, instead evaluating nationwide, cross-cutting adaptation efforts. This approach involves four main steps:

1. assessing climate risks as measurement baselines;
2. translating adaptation needs into measurable objectives and targets;
3. tracking implementation progress towards achieving these adaptation targets;
4. measuring the effectiveness of adaptation policies in reducing climate impacts over time.