TCU leads the ClimateScanner initiative, a tool developed by audit institutions to assist governments with climate change

The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) hosted representatives from 18 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from several countries to discuss climate issues. The event "ClimateScanner Technical Workshop: tool design" was held on May 22-26 and brought together members of the executive group for the development of the ClimateScanner tool. This tool is under development and will allow audit institutions to assess the level of readiness of governments worldwide to face climate change.

Over the five days of the workshop, experts debated how supreme audit institutions could assist with global actions and shared experiences about the impacts of global warming. The vice-president of the TCU, Minister Vital do Rêgo, participated in the closing of the event and highlighted the main problems to be faced. "Rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, and loss of biodiversity are just some of the negative impacts we are witnessing. The supreme audit institutions have an important role, for example, in verifying that the public regulation of each country work properly."

Minister Vital do Rêgo emphasized the importance of the distribution of the ClimateScanner work. "We must evaluate the performance of governments from different points of view. The ClimateScanner work includes three areas of assessment: money, governance, and public regulation. During this week's work, the executive group teams evolved to build the components that will be used to assess these three areas. The opportunity to meet face-to-face has allowed us to have in-depth reflections and build stronger working connections, which will accelerate the creation of an accurate assessment tool," he said.

The ClimateScanner initiative was launched in November 2022 during the XXIV International Congress of the Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI), held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  By 2024, participating countries will evaluate the information gathered, consolidate the data produced, and communicate relevant information in an easy-to-understand language. This will assist the decision-making process through the development of strategic projects.

For 2023, the project will be in the development stage, with several events and meetings being held. "We know there is a lot more work to be done. The executive group teams will continue to work hard to finalize the tool by the end of the year," said Vital do Rêgo.

In July, TCU will present the first version of the tool to the heads of the SAIs. The meeting will be held at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. The initial results of the initiative should also be presented at the UN Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled for November 2023 in Dubai, UAE. TCU chairs the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and is a member of the organization's Working Group on Environmental Auditing.