Trustworthy climate information for decision making
Executive Summary
The role of high-quality climate services is becoming increasingly important in guiding decision-makers towards a resilient future amidst escalating climate challenges.
The foundational role of climate services for businesses organisations
Climate information – encompassing data, models, predictions, and forecasts – forms the bedrock for achieving green transition, climate neutrality, and resilience. Effective integration of trustworthy climate information with decision-making elements enables risk management and opportunity realisation. Climate services are increasingly relevant to businesses as they craft decarbonisation pathways, evaluate climate risks, and adhere to disclosure standards such as TCFD and the EU Taxonomy.
A Growing market in need of governance
The climate services market is burgeoning, attracting both for-profit and not-for-profit entities. However, the quality of existing climate services varies, necessitating standardisation and transparency. Incorporating the latest scientific insights into business decisions requires a mature governance system to address the interconnections between climate risks and other business risks.
Climateurope2: Support and standardisation to enhance trust in climate services
As part of the European Commission’s efforts to implement the Green Deal, Climateurope2 seeks to standardise climate services to enhance trust, equity, and uptake. By proposing a taxonomy of climate services and advocating for community-based good practices, it aims to support the development of quality-assured climate services for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and variability.
DNV alongside the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, TECNALIA and consortium partners have drafted a framework for the equitable standardisation of climate services, with the goal of supporting effective climate action and ultimately ensure a sustainable and resilient future. This framework is meant to guide the process of identifying which components of climate services are mature enough to be taken up by formal standardisation organisations, and which aspects may need different governance mechanisms.
To support a standardisation framework that supports an equitable climate services community, Climateurope2 identifies components of climate services that can be considered for standardisation. These components encompass the decision context in which the service is applied, knowledge systems that contribute to the information underlying the service, delivery mode of the service, and the ecosystem of actors involved, thus facilitating a comprehensive approach towards standardisation.
Ensuring the quality of climate services for industry
The importance of disaggregated climate services is highlighted and exemplified through quotes and messages from presentations and discussions during the Climateurope2 second Webstival (19–20 September). These examples emphasise the role of climate services in risk evaluation, especially in the renewable energy sector. The integration of climate services in decision-making processes is vital for achieving sustainability and resilience, underlining the need for common language and collaboration among all stakeholders in the energy value chain.
Concluding remarks
In conclusion, ensuring the quality and usability of climate services is pivotal for a sustainable and resilient future. Stakeholder engagement, dialogue, and co-production are essential in climate-related decision-making. The burgeoning climate services market requires guidelines, recommended practices, and standards to govern all components effectively.
Overall, the imperative of trustworthy climate information for decision-making is undeniable, necessitating a collective effort to enhance the quality, accessibility, and usability of climate services for a more sustainable and resilient world.