The chapter explores challenges that characterize the evaluation of climate change adaptation projects. These are related to the particular nature and characteristics of the vast majority of adaption projects which imply a number of methodological issues such as the existence of long-term time scales and infrequent events, the high level of uncertainty and shifting baselines, the presence of co-benefits, and the absence of agreed metrics. After having analysed these methodological challenges in detail, the chapter outlines an integrated framework for the evaluation of climate change adaptation projects, based on four interrelated components specifically developed to take into account the peculiarities of climate change adaptation projects: evaluation criteria, theory of change, project indicators, and logical framework. The chapter concludes with the application of the integrated evaluation framework to concrete adaption projects implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) through its Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL).

Key words: climate change adaptation, integrated evaluation framework, adaptation indicators, climate change risk

This book chapter was published in the 2017 Handbook for Disaster Risk Reduction & Management. Edited by Christian N Madu (University of Nigeria, Nigeria & Pace University, USA), Chu-Hua Kuei (Pace University, USA) 956pp. ISBN: 978-981-3207-94-3