Climateurope has greatly improved coordination and integration through its consortium representing key European initiatives, namely: C3S, Climate-KIC, JPI-Climate, European Research Area network for climate services, the European Network for Earth System Modelling, and FP7 and H2020 Earth system modelling and climate service projects. The consortium members also have leading roles in major international programmes such as the World Climate Research Programme, the Global Framework for Climate Services; the Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment. Since the start of the project additional programmes and activities have joined Climateurope’s network.
This network of activities and organisations is at the core of Climateurope’s framework. The network is being actively managed and developed, and involves actors from the scientific community, funders and user communities including public sector and private sector, representing a range of disciplines. The network is currently 350 members strong.
Climateurope has been facilitating dialogue among stakeholders though communication and dissemination activities, enabling participants to actively collaborate and share knowledge, improving synergies, reducing fragmentation and better aligning activities. Stakeholder knowledge and awareness of climate science is also being enhanced. We are reaching audiences through alternative ways of communicating, such as social media, whilst still using the traditional mechanisms of scientific publications, expert groups and workshops.
The main communication channels are:
• A series of Festivals to connect people through a varied and interactive programme blending informal and formal talks, round table and panel discussions, and networking sessions, with the potential to incorporate the arts, social media and other innovative approaches. Two Festivals have been held (Valencia in April 2017, Belgrade in October 2018) and proved highly popular.
• The production of a range of documents, including fact sheets, newsletters, policy briefings, and report on the state-of-the-art in Earth system modelling and climate services in Europe along with forward-looking recommendations on research needs.
• An informative and regularly updated website providing information in easily understandable terminology and languages other than English. It is the platform to advertise Climateurope‘s activities, to showcase examples of climate services (successful and unsuccessful), and includes videos, newsletters, interviews and publications, and links to other Earth System Modelling and Climate Services platforms and initiatives.
New communication channels are being explored. These include the use of Twitter (with over 700 followers), LinkedIn (with over 100 group members), and two webinar series, which have been archived as a series of videos through YouTube and the Climateurope website for those unable to participate live. The series of webinars were presented by a group of multi-disciplinary experts and have led to initial thoughts on gaps, challenges and emerging needs. A series of videos have been made from the first Festival. Colourful cartoon art has been used as a way of recording the main outcomes of the two Festivals. Climateurope’s social media accounts help promote the videos and other Climateurope activities including relevant news stories from the network members.
