SCROLL DOWN

Closing the
knowledge-action gap in climate services

WHAT IS A CLIMATE SERVICE?

What is a climate service?

A climate service involves the provision of climate information (but not only climate information!) in a way that leads to effective, climate-related decision-making.

WHAT IS A CLIMATE SERVICE?

What is a climate service?

A climate service involves the provision of climate information (but not only climate information!) in a way that leads to effective, climate-related decision-making.

DECISION-MAKING

What do we mean by assisting in decision-making?

This can take many forms, such as analysing climate risks, assessing adaptation options in response to climate change impacts, or implementing mitigation and net-zero strategies.

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

A common misconception is to equate climate information with climate services. While climate information is an essential component of a climate service, it is not sufficient on its own.
‍
Why?

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

Climate information transforms and organises raw data (such as measurements collected by weather stations) into meaningful patterns and insights.

However, this alone is often not enough to generate the knowledge needed to support decisions and create real-world value.

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

Climate services go a step further.

They combine climate information with other types of information, such as socio-demographic, economic, environmental, or sector-specific data, to generate actionable knowledge and support meaningful outcomes.

COPRODUCTION

WHY ARE (GOOD) CLIMATE SERVICES IMPORTANT?

Climate change affects every sector of society, from agriculture and water management to health, infrastructure, and finance.

As climate-related risks become more frequent and severe, decision-makers need reliable information to understand potential impacts and plan for the future.

WHY ARE (GOOD) CLIMATE SERVICES IMPORTANT?

Climate services ecosystem should foster services that are robust, transparent, trustworthy, and designed around users' needs.

This helps reduce uncertainty, support better decisions and investments, and strengthen resilience to climate change.

WHAT DOES A GOOD CLIMATE SERVICE LOOK LIKE?

At this stage, it should be clear that a good climate service is more than just information.

To be effective, it should:

Engage users and providers in a two-way process
(co-production)

Have easy access for users

Respond to users’ specific needs

Be based on scientifically credible information and expertise

DELIVERY FORMAT

However, climate services can be delivered through a variety of formats.

For instance, they may be:

forecasts
risk assessments
maps
early warning systems
or tailored guidance that supports adaptation and resilience

TEMPORAL SCALE

Climate services can also operate across very different time scales, depending on the decisions they are designed to support.

Some focus on the near future and help prepare for events expected in the coming weeks or months. Others provide information for longer-term planning, up to decades or even by the end of the century!, they may be:

THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF CLIMATEUROPE2

Given the variety and complexity of climate services and their diverse objectives, breaking down a climate service into a set of interrelated components is useful.   

Climateurope2, which aims to standarise climate services in Europe, has identified four main components as a step towards defining the boundaries of climate services, which will help identify what constitutes a quality-assured and equitable climate service.

Decision-making context of users

It refers to the kind of decisions the climate service supports, including its geographical, social, and political context.

Delivery mode and evaluation practices

It should include the tailored aggregation and combination of data and processes to match the decision and context of the service client.

Knowledge systems

Different types of knowledge systems besides climate information: indigenous knowledge, domain knowledge of the industry, etc.

Ecosystem of actors and co-production processes

Dialogue between provider, user and intermediaries

SCROLL DOWN

Closing the
knowledge-action gap in climate services

What is a climate service?

A climate service involves the provision of climate information (but not only climate information!) in a way that leads to effective, climate-related decision-making.

WHAT IS A CLIMATE SERVICE?

A climate service involves the provision of climate information (but not only climate information!) in a way that leads to effective, climate-related decision-making.

DECISION-MAKING

What do we mean by assisting in decision-making?

This can take many forms, such as analysing climate risks, assessing adaptation options in response to climate change impacts, or implementing mitigation and net-zero strategies.

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

A common misconception is to equate climate information with climate services. While climate information is an essential component of a climate service, it is not sufficient on its own.
‍
Why?

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

Climate information transforms and organises raw data (such as measurements collected by weather stations) into meaningful patterns and insights.

However, this alone is often not enough to generate the knowledge needed to support decisions and create real-world value.

BEYOND CLIMATE INFORMATION

Climate services go a step further.

COPRODUCTION

WHY ARE (GOOD) CLIMATE SERVICES IMPORTANT?

Climate services ecosystem should foster services that are robust, transparent, trustworthy, and designed around users' needs.

This helps reduce uncertainty, support better decisions and investments, and strengthen resilience to climate change.

HOW DOES A GOOD CLIMATE SERVICE LOOK?

At this stage, it should be clear that a good climate service is more than just information.

To be effective, it should:

Engage users and providers in a two-way process (co-production)

Have easy access for users

Respond to users’ specific needs

Be based on scientifically credible information and expertise

DELIVERY FORMAT

However, climate services can be delivered through a variety of formats.

For instance, they may be:

forecasts
risk assessments
maps
early warning systems
or tailored guidance that supports adaptation and resilience

TEMPORAL SCALE

Climate services can also operate across very different time scales, depending on the decisions they are designed to support.

THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF CLIMATEUROPE2

Given the variety and complexity of climate services and their diverse objectives, breaking down a climate service into a set of interrelated components is useful.   

which aims to standarise climate services in Europe, has identified four main components as a step towards defining the boundaries of climate services, which will help identify what constitutes a quality-assured and equitable climate service.

The decision-making context of users

It refers to the kind of decisions the climate service supports, including its geographical, social, and political context.

The delivery mode and evaluation practices

It should include the tailored aggregation and combination of data and processes to match the decision and context of the service client.

Knowledge systems

Different types of knowledge systems besides climate information: indigenous knowledge, domain knowledge of the industry, etc.

The ecosystem of actors and co-production processes

Dialogue between provider, user and intermediaries

WHat
are the Criteria?

When we talk about criteria, we mean the rules we use to evaluate the data to make sure that it’s of good quality.

Here are cards with explanations on some of the criteria. Hover over them to get the definition.

When we talk about criteria, we mean the rules we use to evaluate the data to make sure that it’s of good quality.

Tap on the cards to learn the definition of each criteria.

Delivery mode and evaluation

Accessibility

Easy and equitable retrieval of climate information for user.

Accessibility

Easy and equitable retrieval of climate information for user.

Decision context

Adaptability

Includes the ability to adjust to evolving regulatory regimes and the capacity for transferability to meet dynamic purposes.

Adaptability

Includes the ability to adjust to evolving regulatory regimes and the capacity for transferability to meet dynamic purposes.

Delivery mode and evaluation

Evaluation

It refers to impact measurement and evaluation: capacity to advance and account for the impact of the service itself.

Evaluation

It refers to impact measurement and evaluation: capacity to advance and account for the impact of the service itself.

Delivery mode and evaluation

Good delivery practices

User-friendly formats to deliver climate information to users, considerence differences in literacy levels, languages, etc.

Good delivery practices

User-friendly formats to deliver climate information to users, considerence differences in literacy levels, languages, etc.

Knowledge systems

Narratives

Any use of narrative thinking to frame and drive the development of climate information, as well as to interpret data.

Narratives

Any use of narrative thinking to frame and drive the development of climate information, as well as to interpret data.

Knowledge systems

Quality assurance

Systematic inspection, testing, and monitoring of processes and outputs to identify and correct any deviations or deficiencies.

Quality assurance

Systematic inspection, testing, and monitoring of processes and outputs to identify and correct any deviations or deficiencies.

Ecosystem of actors and co-production processes

Stakeholder mapping

Thoroughness and comprehensiveness with which all relevant stakeholders are identified and considered in a given context.

Stakeholder mapping

Thoroughness and comprehensiveness with which all relevant stakeholders are identified and considered in a given context.

Ecosystem of actors and co-production processes

Transparency of scope

The climate service is clear about what other providers offer, as well as the limitations of this offer.

Transparency of scope

The climate service is clear about what other providers offer, as well as the limitations of this offer.

What are indicators?

Take a look at the data we collected from each of the case studies and how combinations of criteria become the foundation of indicators AKA pizza recipes.

Check out the data visualisation

Where are the climate services?

In this dashboard, you can see our curated list of successful climate services and where the partners are around the world.

WHat are the Criteria?

What makes a good climate service?

What are indicators?

Where are the climate services?

Climate Service Map

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ACTRIS-2

AfriCultuReS

ARCH

AtlantOS

Blue-Action

CityCLIM

CLARA

CLARITY

Climate-fit.City

Climateurope

CONFER

ECOPOTENTIAL

EFFECT

ERA4CS

ESCAPE

E-SHAPE

EUCP

EU-MACS

EXHAUSTION

FIDUCEO

FOCUS-Africa

FORCOAST

GEM

GEO-CRADLE

Ground_Truth_2.0

GROW

H2020_Insurance

HERACLES

HiSea

IMPREX

IPERION_CH

IS-ENES3

LANDSENSE

MARCO

MED-GOLD

NextGEOSS

PLACARD

PROSNOW

PROTECT

REACHOUT

RESCCUE

S2S4E

SCENT

SEAMLESS

SECLI-FIRM

SHAR-Q

SILVANUS

SIM4NEXUS

SINCERE

STORM

TWIGA

URBANFLUXES

VISCA

VITIGEOSS

ACTRIS-2

Operational stage

Geographical region and scale

Sector

Subsector/Theme

Climate Service delivery format

Temporal Scale

Type of information

Climate Service delivery format

Geographical region and scale

Sector

Subsector/Theme

Temporal Scale

Type of information

Climate Service delivery format

Geographical region and scale

Sector

Subsector/Theme

Temporal Scale

Type of information

WHat
are the Criteria?