Standards Development

Scope

The term “climate services” refers to a complex concept encompassing multiple components and processes that enable the generation, integration, provision and contextualization of diverse types of data, information and knowledge across different knowledge systems to support decision-making. It also involves various processes requiring collaboration among multiple actors and all elements necessary for delivering an effective service.

Climate services are often misunderstood as being synonymous with climate data and climate information, yet these represent only one element. In reality, climate services focus on contextualizing relevant data, information and knowledge for specific decision-making contexts, and this standard sets out principles to guide their development and delivery (see Clause 4).

This standard covers the entire scope of climate services as described in the following interconnected components, which aim to set boundaries for climate services while breaking down their complexity into recognizable categories of components and sub-components (see Clause 5):

• Decision-making context - Describes the decision-making framework within which a climate service is applied, including the relevant geographical, institutional, social, economic, and political conditions that shape how climate information is interpreted and used (see Clause 6);

• Ecosystem of actors and interactions- Describes the range of actors involved in the development, provision, use, and evaluation of climate services, including users, providers, intermediaries, and other stakeholders relevant to a given decision-making context. This component also covers the ways these actors interact across different stages of climate service design, implementation, and application (see Clause 7);

• Knowledge systems, information, and processes – Recognises that climate services draw on diverse knowledge traditions, combining scientific and applied knowledge with Indigenous, local, experiential, governance, and socio-cultural perspectives. It also covers processes for integrating and translating these knowledge sources into decision-relevant forms, alongside accessibility and stewardship considerations (see Clause 8);

• Delivery mode and evaluation - Describes how a climate service is delivered, accessed and evaluated in practice, including mechanisms for user feedback and co-evaluation. This component covers the tailored aggregation and integration of information, tools, and processes to align with the needs of the decision-making context and service users (see Clause 9).

This standard will specify the technical, procedural and performance characteristics of climate services, while identifying and defining the standardizable and auditable aspects of their development and delivery. It structures and guides the identification of standardizable requirements by defining sub-components within each component. This standardization strategy helps setting the boundaries of what can be standardized in climate services and addresses the lack of agreement on what constitutes a climate service in practice.

This standard addresses challenges related to fast developing technologies impacting the field of climate data and information, such as artificial intelligence (AI) (see clause 10). It also addresses core considerations such as uptake, equity or accessibility (see clause 11). The standard provides guidance on relevant governance mechanisms and existing standards applicable to climate services (see Annex XXX).

This standardization deliverable applies to climate services that support decisions sensitive to both climate variability and change, including services providing information and knowledge across multiple dimensions (temporal, spatial, thematic, sectoral, and stakeholder-related). It covers services tailored to both short-term and medium- to long-term needs, with a focus on adaptation and resilience:

• Short-term climate services: Early-warning and risk management services that support the prevention and management of adverse impacts or opportunities arising from interannual climate variability and extreme weather events.

• Medium- to long-term climate services: Services that inform adaptation planning and resilience strategies across society, including all economic sectors, in response to decadal climate variability, slow-onset events, and climate change impacts.

Lastly, this standard provides guidance for aspects of climate services that are either immature for standardization or not suitable for standardization (see annex XXXXX).

This standard is expected to drive improvements in both the provision and utilization of climate services, leading to a more structured, reliable, and dynamic climate services ecosystem within Europe

This standardization deliverable applies to all providers of climate services. Potential users of the standard include climate service providers, while beneficiaries include both climate service users and providers. This standard also aims to support to the integration of climate adaptation and resilience aspects into both existing and future standards.

Purpose

Climate services involve the generation, provision and contextualization of information and knowledge to support decision-making.1 To be effective, they should be grounded in scientifically credible information and expertise, together with other relevant knowledge sources, supported by appropriate engagement processes, and delivered in ways that enable timely and appropriate use.2 In doing so, climate services play a key role in managing and reducing climate risks, developing adaptation strategies, and achieving resilient and climate-neutral societies in response to climate variability and change. They are also central to a climate-resilient and competitive Europe, consistent with the policy and socioeconomic context established by the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, the European Climate Change Law, the European Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, the Critical Entities Resilience Directive, and the forthcoming European Resilience Framework, among others.³

We are already seeing, and are likely to experience in the future, more extreme weather and climate events, with greater intensity, frequency, and, at times, persistence, increasing the likelihood of high-impact threats. Europe, the fastest warming continent in the world, faces significant cascading risks and challenges as climate extremes intersect with environmental and social risks, as detailed by the European Climate Risk Assessment Report.4 The risk landscape is therefore fundamentally changing, making it urgent to enhance awareness and understanding of current and future climate risks, including their social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions.

Climate services also support mitigation strategies and other priorities of the European Commission, including the transition to the circular economy. Co-benefits achieved through a more sustainable and circular economy are crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.⁵

Addressing this challenge extends beyond issuing early weather warnings or providing future climate projections to the public and businesses. It requires a sustained effort to convey and contextualize credible scientific knowledge about risks and opportunities emerging from climate variability and change in a manner that is both clear and actionable within specific decision-making contexts. This is the role of climate services.

The landscape of climate services provision is shaped by a diverse set of intergovernmental, international, national and regional actors, alongside a growing number of private providers delivering services for multiple purposes. Although the push for disclosing climate risks to guide adaptation and mitigation is increasing, the provision and use of climate services remains unregulated, and with no recognised standards in place. While various standardization activities exist in related fields, they do not directly focus on climate services.⁶

A body of literature is emerging from research and practice, offering recommendations, best practices, guidance, guidelines, and conventions for different aspects of climate services. Additionally, there is some technical guidance for climate data and climate information (e.g., World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Copernicus Climate Change Services Guidelines). However, there is no consensus on the boundaries of climate services, and there remains a need for further coordination and harmonization of existing guidance on technical requirements. There are no recognised guidelines for integrating technical climate data with other highly relevant data sources or for selecting appropriate data for specific applications. The transition from raw data to actionable information and knowledge also remains unclear and is often not transparent.⁷

Several specific challenges persist, including traceability, data provenance, visual design, and the communication of uncertainty, including clarity of the reference baselines used for climate comparisons. Beyond technical aspects, procedural considerations are equally crucial. The inclusiveness, uptake, and effectiveness of climate services depend on well-defined processes such as joint processes to analyse and compare user requirements, traceability, or co- production processes. Yet no recognized or widely accepted guidance exists in these areas.⁸

Furthermore, key performance factors for fit-for-purpose climate services are lacking, such as mechanisms for improving users’ capacity to interpret technical content or structured feedback loops that enhance the timeliness, accountability and effectiveness of climate services. The absence of legitimate, consent based, measurable, comparable, and auditable requirements for climate services, along with the data, products and processes that underpin them, often hinders the development of a transparent, trustworthy, effective, and equitable climate services market and limits the se of available knowledge.

This new standardization deliverable aims to establish a framework for climate services, setting out definitions, principles, requirements, and guidelines that encompass all components of climate services, their interrelations, and their technical, procedural and performance aspects. It will provide a common understanding of what climate services entail, define requirements for fit- for-purpose services, and guide the appropriate use and upscaling of climate services in Europe.