Whilst many studies produce climate predictions or projections, EUCP has gone beyond the state-of-the-art in extracting more information from those projections and filling gaps where current projections do not yet exist. In particular, many new methods have been developed and published enabling better understanding of the skill in predictions, the constraining of projections and merging of near-term initialised prediction simulations with long-term climate projections. New datasets have been produced and have already been used, for instance in the IPCC assessment and WMO decadal forecast exchange. Case studies relevant to users have been developed and showcased.
This new learning in EUCP is the foundation of providing an authoritative foundation of climate information to assess the impact of climate change (top-level objectives 1 and 2). It is supporting the building of a climate resilient economy and strengthening civil protection (objectives 2, 3, 4). It provides a foundation for increasing the credibility and usability of climate predictions, and the identification and characterisation of trends in regional climate extremes (objectives 1, 2, 3, 4). EUCP has made an important contribution towards enabling the EU to Implement the Sustainable Development goal SDG 13 “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”, as well as conclusions of the COP21 Paris Agreement (linked to top-level objectives 2, 3, 4).
Alongside the scientific advances, EUCP developed and tested a range of communication approaches relevant to both scientific and practitioner audiences based around storyboards, which provide a record of EUCP’s legacy and which might also be deployed in future projects. Multiple written and oral briefings have been produced for policy makers and practitioners by the project. The progress beyond state-of-the-art was highlighted by the inclusion of EUCP findings in the recently published IPCC 6th assessment (AR6), which laid a scientific basis for negotiations at the COP26 UN climate conference in November 2021.
