Abbey Abramson

  Numbers hide more than they reveal Data Darkness: When Numbers Hide More Than They Reveal The integrity problem you can’t see (yet) Every scandal in climate spending has a paper trail. Picture a small village household that faced repeated floods, yet lacked the resources to contest the official figures of government aid and infrastructure improvements. Their home stood submerged repeatedly, unprotected due to unsearchable PDFs (files that are not easily searched or analyzed), missing baselines (initial measurements against which change can be measured), unverified results, and dashboards that appear modern but do not allow you to download a single row.  This data darkness is not a technical glitch; it is a governance choice that weakens scrutiny and rewards box-ticking over outcomes. International frameworks have been warning for years that adaptation succeeds only with credible monitoring, evaluation, and learning—MEL—looped into decisions (MEL is a cycle to check, review,...

Protecting mangroves and forest projects Forests, Water, and the Green Mirage Why “green” can go wrong Reforestation drives, mangrove plantings , and watershed protection programs are often highlighted in national climate plans. On paper, they promise carbon storage, coastal protection, cooler microclimates, and resilient water supplies. In practice, many become green mirages—projects that appear promising in photos but fail to survive a single dry season, storm surge, or budget cycle. The reasons are clear: sapling scams , inflated survival rates, species planted in the wrong places, and contracts that pay for “number of trees planted” rather than for ecosystems restored. Land-tenure conflicts and weak law enforcement widen the gap between spending and real protection. UNDP’s work on corruption risks in adaptation and REDD+ warned of this dynamic over a decade ago, and the risks remain current (UNDP, 2010/2015). This chapter focuses on three fronts where integrity failures are common...

Climate flood control infrastructure integrity Concrete That Crumbles: Infrastructure Integrity Under Climate Stress Why engineering integrity is a life-safety issue Picture this: a family living by the river wakes up at midnight to the sound of rushing water. Panic sets in as they evacuate, chilled by rising floodwaters and uncertainty. Their home, once a safe haven, is now threatened by both natural disasters and hidden infrastructure flaws. In emergencies, survival hinges on details often ignored: rebar spacing, concrete strength, riprap thickness, culvert size, pump capacity, and whether the O&M crew greased a bearing last week. Climate change is driving heavier downpours and more frequent floods (IPCC, 2023). When these hazards meet weak, poorly maintained assets, manageable disasters turn deadly. In short, corners cut today become deaths tomorrow (IPCC, 2021; 2023). To navigate these risks, this chapter first translates "engineering integrity" into plain language. ...

  Procurement pitfalls and corruption Procurement Pitfalls: From Bid-Rigging to Ghost Deliveries Why this Chapter Matters As dawn broke over the coastal village , the family of four awoke to an ominous rumble. Sleepily rising from their makeshift beds, they stepped outside only to find the embankment designed to protect them from surging tides was crumbling into the sea. Their home, like many others, stood defenseless. If climate adaptation is only as strong as the infrastructure we build, then procurement is the hinge on which safety swings. When the rules governing public works purchases are bent by cartels, kickbacks, front companies, and "creative" change orders, lives are put at risk. That is not rhetoric. Where collusion raises prices and slashes quality, embankments slump, culverts choke, mangroves die, and shelters fail the night they’re needed most (World Bank, 2014; OECD, 2025). By the end of this chapter, you'll be equipped to identify five common scams in proc...

Procurement process and how it should work How procurement should work (and what to check) Planning & market sounding Should publish procurement plans with realistic timelines and budgets, so competent bidders can prepare. Red flags: artificial urgency; splitting contracts to avoid thresholds; unexplained direct awards. Tender stage Open, competitive tendering is the default. Documents must be publicly available; OCDS fields (planning • tender • award • contract • implementation) should be completed. Red flags: tailor-made specs, brand-locking, excessive experience thresholds, “one day” bid windows, hidden addenda. Citizen check: Track number of bidders; unusual patterns (same few companies); complaints filed. Open-contracting evidence shows that competition increases and prices fall when data are open and used (OCP impact).  Award & contract Publish the winning bid, evaluation scores, contract price vs. estimated cost, performance bonds, and change-order rules. Red fl...