New York, 23 September 2026 — Turning scientific evidence into investment and action will require stronger links among researchers, policymakers, financiers and communities, experts said at a STAP session at Science Summit 2026.
The session, “From Science to Environmental Action: Strengthening Evidence-based Global Investment,” brought together representatives from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), alongside experts and practitioners affiliated with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the African Academy of Sciences, Conservation International, Nature Communications and other institutions. Participants examined how science can better shape investment and deliver environmental results.
Photo: Dr Mohamed Bakarr, GEF
The discussion comes as the GEF begins its ninth replenishment cycle, GEF-9, sharpening attention on how evidence can guide investments across interconnected challenges including biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation, chemicals and international waters. Dr Mohamed Bakarr, GEF Manager for Integration and Knowledge Management, noted that the GEF has invested more than US$26 billion over the past three decades, and emphasized that environmental challenges increasingly require solutions that address entire systems rather than individual problems in isolation. Food, cities, energy, water, health and nature are interdependent, he said, requiring investments that tackle underlying drivers as well as their environmental consequences.
According to the STAP Interim Chair, Dr Ed Carr, the challenge is not simply producing more science, but ensuring knowledge reaches those able to use it. Scientific advice needs to start with a clear understanding of the problem, who needs the knowledge, and how it can inform a decision or change practice and behavior. “You can’t write to nobody,” Carr said, underscoring the importance of identifying the intended audience and pathway to impact from the outset. STAP's independence within the GEF partnership, he added, enables it to challenge established approaches when emerging evidence points to better solutions.
Dr David Obura, Chair of IPBES, reinforced the importance of connecting global knowledge with local action, highlighting the need to combine scientific evidence with Indigenous and local knowledge. Cecilia Kinuthia-Jenga of UNFCCC emphasized that this connection is particularly urgent in an “era of implementation,” when evidence needs to influence action on the ground as well as international policy.
Participants pointed to anticipatory action as one example of science directly informing investment. Weather and climate forecasts can trigger pre-agreed financing before disasters strike, enabling governments, agencies and communities to act before impacts escalate. More broadly, mobilizing finance for environmental actions requires scientists and investors to better understand each other's priorities. Nees Simmons, founder of the Diaspora Country Index, emphasized that scientists seeking private capital need to communicate in terms investors recognize, including risk, return, cash flow and economic opportunity. Obura stressed that this translation must work both ways; nature and biodiversity need to be better understood within economic and financial decision-making, while financial actors need to better recognize their dependence on healthy natural and social systems.
Participants also called for stronger ownership of research priorities in Africa and across the Global South. Professor Cato Laurencin of the University of Connecticut, representing the vice president of the African Academy of Sciences, advocated demand-driven research, stronger African research infrastructure and greater investment in scientists producing knowledge relevant to African contexts. At the community level, participants warned that scientific monitoring, safeguards, and technical requirements can become barriers when projects lack resources for technical assistance. Angelica Shamerina of the GEF Small Grants Programme underscored the value of Indigenous and local knowledge and the importance of investing in local universities and expertise.
A recurring message was that producing knowledge does not guarantee its use. Participants argued that communication, dissemination and knowledge uptake should be treated as investments rather than project overheads. Lessons from one project can influence future programmes and policies, extending impact well beyond the initial investment. “If it’s not measured, it’s not managed, and it’s not incentivized,” said Ed Carr, Acting Chair of STAP, underscoring the need to reflect communications and knowledge uptake in project results frameworks and funding decisions.
The panel called for communication and knowledge uptake to be more clearly reflected in project results frameworks and funding decisions. The discussion also highlighted opportunities to strengthen links between field experience and academic research. Dr Charles Axelsson, Chief Editor of Nature Communications Environmental Social Sciences, highlighted the value of “grey literature” generated through development and conservation projects and the opportunity to connect it more systematically with peer-reviewed research, so that lessons and evidence from implementation can contribute to wider knowledge and evidence base.
Artificial intelligence is also reshaping how environmental evidence is produced and assessed. Dr. Zinta Zommers from the IPCC said AI could help researchers manage large volumes of literature, comments, and information. Participants also noted important limitations and risks, including confidentiality, security, hallucinations, and uneven reliability across scientific fields. The discussion emphasized that AI could support scientific work, but human expertise and judgment remain essential to validate information and inform consequential environmental decisions.
Ultimately, the discussion shifted the question from how much science is available to how effectively knowledge is translated into action. Turning evidence into lasting environmental benefits will require researchers, policymakers, investors, implementing agencies, and communities to work more closely, while ensuring that Indigenous and local knowledge, as well as other knowledge sources, is appropriately incorporated alongside scientific evidence. For STAP, that means continuing to connect emerging science with GEF investment decisions, while also drawing lessons from implementation to identify knowledge gaps and research needs. The test of evidence is not simply whether it is published, but whether it contributes to better decisions, more effective investments, and lasting global environmental benefits.
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