We cordially invite all EORC staff members, interested colleagues as well as students and the interested public to join the public defense by Alexandra Bell on her PhD “Spaceborne Remote Sensing for Policy – Supporting National Compliance with International Policy Agreements from Space – Weltraumgestützte Fernerkundung für die Politik – Unterstützung der nationalen Einhaltung von internationalen politischen Vereinbarungen aus dem Weltall” on April 1st at 1pm at John-Skilton Str. 4a, seminar room 1.
From the abstract: “Despite worldwide efforts to tackle anthropogenic climate change and sustainable development, such as through the Paris Agreement (PA) and the UN Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Earth’s resilience and capacities are continuously pushed in unprecedented ways. Climate change is amplifying worldwide weather and climate extremes with adverse impacts, while ecosystems are being altered and polluted at an increasing rate. At the same time, worldwide conflicts and violence are eroding the political stability of the global community, shaking the foundations of the most advanced democracies, and leaving sustainable development at risk. More than ever, there exists the necessity for an evidence-based policy (EBP) approach to identify the full impact of policies and, thus, policymaking, and to provide a credible counter-voice towards the increasing distrust spurred through these developments during a time of surging information. Both the PA and the SDGs adhere to an EBP approach. Under the PA, nations must communicate progress towards their goals through ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDCs). Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems and indicators for MRV of policy measures are therefore crucial to helping nations and the international community guarantee adherence to and the global success of the agreement. However, ensuring the efficiency and successful implementation of policy measures is a complex undertaking, as it is difficult to systematically measure progress in global sustainable development. Additionally, data provisioning can pose a substantial challenge for nations, especially those in developing regions like West Africa (WA), as it often necessitates significant financial and personal resources. In this context, spaceborne remote sensing (RS) can be a valuable source of information for EBP. RS is one of the most powerful tools to derive objective and systematic information across different spatial and temporal scales. By doing so, RS can provide pivotal insights into the status of the environment and can support uncovering existing linkages. Besides, it can be particularly useful in regions where data gaps exist.
This dissertation investigated the use of RS for EPB from conceptual, peer-reviewed, and stakeholder perspectives. The topic is further explored with practical analyses of the use of RS for the NDCs of WA countries. WA is chosen as a study region due to the importance of the PA and the SDGs in mitigating anthropogenic-related climate change impacts and achieving sustainable development in these countries. These agreements also offer WA countries the opportunity to receive support in financing, capacity development and technological transfer to achieve their goals – emphasising the relevance of cost-effective solutions for monitoring national measures within the framework of these agreements. In this context, one study provides insights into the application of RS based on the analysis of the NDC documents of WA countries. The second study builds on these results to investigate the implications of using open-access products to monitor specific NDCs of WA countries. The coherence between the NDCs and SDGs was analysed to assess the potential for aligning RS applications.
Although the thesis demonstrates that RS can assist in EBP, the research field is not fully exploiting the potential of RS for EBP according to the results. The literature review ascertained only four studies that directly contribute results or applications to the policy field. Instead, most studies examine policy measures indirectly (i.e., discussing or stating the relevance of their RS approach for policy). Further, using the concept of the so-called policy cycle showed that studies mainly contribute to the first (‘problem identification and knowledge building’) and last (‘policy monitoring and evaluation’) stage of the four stages of the policy cycle. Few studies contribute to the other two stages (‘policy formulation’ and ‘policy implementation’). The results further highlight the requirement of policy-relevant RS applications at national level and those that go beyond national borders. Most studies focus on China as study region, followed by Italy and the USA. Accordingly, the geographical scope of applications could be broadened to other countries as well as regions like Middle- and South America, Africa, and Europe. To account for the complexity of policies and make RS applications policy-relevant, RS applications may need to become more interdisciplinary. Using ancillary data to account for relevant policy topics, such as socioeconomic aspects, may achieve this. This may also promote RS applications beyond the ‘traditional’ topics, i.e., analyses from a land-use perspective and focussing on eco-environmental, agricultural, forest, water, and conservation policies, which were mostly covered. The stakeholder analysis of ‘scientists’, ‘intermediaries’, and ‘policymakers’ confirmed the degree in science-policy integration in the research field, which is reflected besides others in the engagement of the analysed stakeholder groups. The study also confirmed the importance of RS applications for emerging sectoral topics that are relevant to future public policy, such as in the realm of the NDCs and SDGs. These are, for instance, the interrelationships between the environment and health, new energy solutions, carbon trading and digitalisation. To tackle the identified bottleneck at the science-policy interface, a more in-depth discussion on the role of each stakeholder group in integrating RS for EBP may be necessary. Important identified supporting structures and conditions to strengthen RS for EBP are capacity development, knowledge development, provisioning of funding, facilitating engagement at the science-policy interface, clarifying information chains, addressing necessary institutional arrangements, and tackling power imbalances between stakeholder groups. These may accelerate the use of RS for EBP, thereby alleviating the bottleneck at the science-policy interface. The web-based survey revealed partially differences in opinions between participants from Europe and WA, such as regarding the most important supporting structures and conditions to strengthen RS for EBP, thereby indicating region-specific differences in challenges hindering the use of RS for EBP and ‘toeholds’ to promote applications. The analysis of the NDC documents of WA countries to further explore the topic and investigate the applicability of RS for related NDC measures revealed forestry and agriculture as the two most relevant policy sectors for climate-relevant measures in WA. Comparable NDC measures and indicators across nations were identified. However, the use of RS for the NDCs is hampered as quantitative indicators for NDC measures are not defined in some cases (51 out of 202 measures in the forest and agricultural sector are linked to quantitative indicators). Further, the analysis of the alignment between NDCs and the SDG indicator framework in these two sectors found solely one possible alignment between the NDC ‘reducing deforestation/increasing reforestation’ and SDG 5.1.1. (‘forest area as a proportion of total land area’). As one opportunity to address these challenges and create synergies within and among treaties, the possibility of nations without quantitative indicators to build upon those provided by other nations with comparable policy measures was identified. However, the results also raise the question as to whether nations may need to reassess the integration of both treaties by aligning their core objectives. Based on these results, the impact of using open-access RS products for the monitoring of measures in the forestry sector of WA countries was analysed as a further practical analysis. Here, the analysis of open-access land use (LU) data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) and land cover (LC) data from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) and the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) revealed that these are currently not fit-for-purpose to monitor forest-related NDCs for international compliance.
Significant differences in forest and agricultural area values exist, the latter of which was included in the analysis for reasons of comparison. Explanations are differences in data sources, definitions, methods, and resulting accuracy levels among the datasets. This is reflected in the analysis of Ghana in meeting its NDC target of reforesting 20,000 hectares a year from 2015 to 2019: Ghana would have either exceeded (increase by 102 kha a-1, ESA-CCI LC data), met (increase by 25 kha a-1, FAOSTAT LU data), or failed to meet its NDC target of increasing forest area (decrease by 5 kha a-1, CGLS LC data). Accordingly, there exists the necessity to develop ‘purposeful’ RS products, with standardised products that are targeted to a specific region being identified as one possible solution for the international community. Other requirements of future open-access RS products are also identified and presented, such as the necessity to align the spatial resolution with the scale of the policy goal in focus.
The thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the present landscape of RS applications for EBP from peer-reviewed literature and stakeholder perspectives. It further offers insights into the consequences of relying on the currently available open-access data for monitoring forest-related NDCs in WA countries. To make full use of the potentials of RS as a tool for providing objective evidence for policy, practical toeholds and concrete recommendations to promote and facilitate RS applications for EBP are provided and highlighted at the end of the thesis.”
From the abstract: “Despite worldwide efforts to tackle anthropogenic climate change and sustainable development, such as through the Paris Agreement (PA) and the UN Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Earth’s resilience and capacities are continuously pushed in unprecedented ways. Climate change is amplifying worldwide weather and climate extremes with adverse impacts, while ecosystems are being altered and polluted at an increasing rate. At the same time, worldwide conflicts and violence are eroding the political stability of the global community, shaking the foundations of the most advanced democracies, and leaving sustainable development at risk. More than ever, there exists the necessity for an evidence-based policy (EBP) approach to identify the full impact of policies and, thus, policymaking, and to provide a credible counter-voice towards the increasing distrust spurred through these developments during a time of surging information. Both the PA and the SDGs adhere to an EBP approach. Under the PA, nations must communicate progress towards their goals through ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDCs). Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems and indicators for MRV of policy measures are therefore crucial to helping nations and the international community guarantee adherence to and the global success of the agreement. However, ensuring the efficiency and successful implementation of policy measures is a complex undertaking, as it is difficult to systematically measure progress in global sustainable development. Additionally, data provisioning can pose a substantial challenge for nations, especially those in developing regions like West Africa (WA), as it often necessitates significant financial and personal resources. In this context, spaceborne remote sensing (RS) can be a valuable source of information for EBP. RS is one of the most powerful tools to derive objective and systematic information across different spatial and temporal scales. By doing so, RS can provide pivotal insights into the status of the environment and can support uncovering existing linkages. Besides, it can be particularly useful in regions where data gaps exist.
This dissertation investigated the use of RS for EPB from conceptual, peer-reviewed, and stakeholder perspectives. The topic is further explored with practical analyses of the use of RS for the NDCs of WA countries. WA is chosen as a study region due to the importance of the PA and the SDGs in mitigating anthropogenic-related climate change impacts and achieving sustainable development in these countries. These agreements also offer WA countries the opportunity to receive support in financing, capacity development and technological transfer to achieve their goals – emphasising the relevance of cost-effective solutions for monitoring national measures within the framework of these agreements. In this context, one study provides insights into the application of RS based on the analysis of the NDC documents of WA countries. The second study builds on these results to investigate the implications of using open-access products to monitor specific NDCs of WA countries. The coherence between the NDCs and SDGs was analysed to assess the potential for aligning RS applications.
Although the thesis demonstrates that RS can assist in EBP, the research field is not fully exploiting the potential of RS for EBP according to the results. The literature review ascertained only four studies that directly contribute results or applications to the policy field. Instead, most studies examine policy measures indirectly (i.e., discussing or stating the relevance of their RS approach for policy). Further, using the concept of the so-called policy cycle showed that studies mainly contribute to the first (‘problem identification and knowledge building’) and last (‘policy monitoring and evaluation’) stage of the four stages of the policy cycle. Few studies contribute to the other two stages (‘policy formulation’ and ‘policy implementation’). The results further highlight the requirement of policy-relevant RS applications at national level and those that go beyond national borders. Most studies focus on China as study region, followed by Italy and the USA. Accordingly, the geographical scope of applications could be broadened to other countries as well as regions like Middle- and South America, Africa, and Europe. To account for the complexity of policies and make RS applications policy-relevant, RS applications may need to become more interdisciplinary. Using ancillary data to account for relevant policy topics, such as socioeconomic aspects, may achieve this. This may also promote RS applications beyond the ‘traditional’ topics, i.e., analyses from a land-use perspective and focussing on eco-environmental, agricultural, forest, water, and conservation policies, which were mostly covered. The stakeholder analysis of ‘scientists’, ‘intermediaries’, and ‘policymakers’ confirmed the degree in science-policy integration in the research field, which is reflected besides others in the engagement of the analysed stakeholder groups. The study also confirmed the importance of RS applications for emerging sectoral topics that are relevant to future public policy, such as in the realm of the NDCs and SDGs. These are, for instance, the interrelationships between the environment and health, new energy solutions, carbon trading and digitalisation. To tackle the identified bottleneck at the science-policy interface, a more in-depth discussion on the role of each stakeholder group in integrating RS for EBP may be necessary. Important identified supporting structures and conditions to strengthen RS for EBP are capacity development, knowledge development, provisioning of funding, facilitating engagement at the science-policy interface, clarifying information chains, addressing necessary institutional arrangements, and tackling power imbalances between stakeholder groups. These may accelerate the use of RS for EBP, thereby alleviating the bottleneck at the science-policy interface. The web-based survey revealed partially differences in opinions between participants from Europe and WA, such as regarding the most important supporting structures and conditions to strengthen RS for EBP, thereby indicating region-specific differences in challenges hindering the use of RS for EBP and ‘toeholds’ to promote applications. The analysis of the NDC documents of WA countries to further explore the topic and investigate the applicability of RS for related NDC measures revealed forestry and agriculture as the two most relevant policy sectors for climate-relevant measures in WA. Comparable NDC measures and indicators across nations were identified. However, the use of RS for the NDCs is hampered as quantitative indicators for NDC measures are not defined in some cases (51 out of 202 measures in the forest and agricultural sector are linked to quantitative indicators). Further, the analysis of the alignment between NDCs and the SDG indicator framework in these two sectors found solely one possible alignment between the NDC ‘reducing deforestation/increasing reforestation’ and SDG 5.1.1. (‘forest area as a proportion of total land area’). As one opportunity to address these challenges and create synergies within and among treaties, the possibility of nations without quantitative indicators to build upon those provided by other nations with comparable policy measures was identified. However, the results also raise the question as to whether nations may need to reassess the integration of both treaties by aligning their core objectives. Based on these results, the impact of using open-access RS products for the monitoring of measures in the forestry sector of WA countries was analysed as a further practical analysis. Here, the analysis of open-access land use (LU) data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) and land cover (LC) data from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) and the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) revealed that these are currently not fit-for-purpose to monitor forest-related NDCs for international compliance.
Significant differences in forest and agricultural area values exist, the latter of which was included in the analysis for reasons of comparison. Explanations are differences in data sources, definitions, methods, and resulting accuracy levels among the datasets. This is reflected in the analysis of Ghana in meeting its NDC target of reforesting 20,000 hectares a year from 2015 to 2019: Ghana would have either exceeded (increase by 102 kha a-1, ESA-CCI LC data), met (increase by 25 kha a-1, FAOSTAT LU data), or failed to meet its NDC target of increasing forest area (decrease by 5 kha a-1, CGLS LC data). Accordingly, there exists the necessity to develop ‘purposeful’ RS products, with standardised products that are targeted to a specific region being identified as one possible solution for the international community. Other requirements of future open-access RS products are also identified and presented, such as the necessity to align the spatial resolution with the scale of the policy goal in focus.
The thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the present landscape of RS applications for EBP from peer-reviewed literature and stakeholder perspectives. It further offers insights into the consequences of relying on the currently available open-access data for monitoring forest-related NDCs in WA countries. To make full use of the potentials of RS as a tool for providing objective evidence for policy, practical toeholds and concrete recommendations to promote and facilitate RS applications for EBP are provided and highlighted at the end of the thesis.”
