Principle 2: Anthropocene as Context

Under a massive and slowly spinning earthen globe in the SSE Hydro in Glasgow Scotland, I joined a meditation circle of 12 people led by two monks from Plum Village Monastery in France. The Monastery, founded by Thich Nhat Han, has become a spiritual lifeline for several of the leaders of CoP26. This makes sense when you consider the stakes of the event well named as the “last best chance” to get it right.

This presentation by Scott Chaplowe, was part of a panel with several other BME members and focused on the role of evaluation and evaluators in the face of the climate crisis. 

As part of preparation and building momentum for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit more than 900 Independent Dialogues have taken place around the world. These Summit Dialogues aim to offer a seat at the table to all interested stakeholders, giving them an opportunity to debate, collaborate, and provide input into deliberations on the future of food.  

Footprint evaluation focuses on the ‘footprint’ that human systems make on natural systems. This requires attention to the nexus between human systems and natural systems. Footprint evaluation is grounded in the premise that all evaluations should include consideration of environmental sustainability, even when this is not a stated goal of the intervention. This is so that decision-making can take into account the potential and actual impacts of planned interventions (projects, programs, policies) on the environment.