Climate services and the private sector TEC Newsletter#12 - September 2017 Climatologists have incredible tools, including sophisticated climate projections, high-performance models and extensive expertise. But this data is often only understood by specialists. Bridging the gap between experts and decision-makers is therefore a major issue. Data must be converted into messages that be used to explain, raise awareness and guide decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is where climate services come in. Up until recently, climate services were mainly developed by public research institutes and their communities of climate scientists. However, private-sector organisations are beginning to capitalise on new opportunities, specialising in climate issues, positioning themselves in new markets and launching activities. This fast-growing trend is likely to result in a number of issues in the near future. How can we be sure of the quality of the services being developed? Are the databases used consistent with reference scenarios? What form should relationships between data producers, data users and intermediaries take? To answer these questions, we must take into account technical considerations and avoid protecting existing monopolies and positions. Like other private-sector consultants in France and abroad, TEC is part of this trend. In this newsletter, we present some of our initiatives while exploring the link between the private and public sectors.
Sustainably yours, the TEC team
DossierEstablishing a roadmap for European climate services Following several years of discussions, the European Commission published a roadmap in 2015 to clarify the roles played by various climate stakeholders. This was followed by the publication of several calls for research projects (H2020, JPI Climate and ERA4CS) as part of an unprecedented investment program. Taking stock of climate services in France: the CVT AllEnvi study As part of the CVT AllEnvi study on climate services, which was launched in 2012, a presentation was held in January 2016. Major French organisations – members of the AllEnvi climate research alliance – have raised various concerns. Are these concerns due to a fear of losing control or the desire to raise awareness of the lack of resources allocated to public research institutes? Accord : jointly designing future European climate services TEC is part of the H2020 Accord project, coordinated by the University of Bergen. If successful, this project will lead to new services designed in coordination with users and, in France, the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. The private sector is increasingly active in the climate field, but often works in coordination with the public sector. PROSNOW : developing services for snow operators as part of a public-private partnership PROSNOW is an H2020 research project developed by TEC and Météo France. It will develop tailored services allowing operators to anticipate snow coverage and make management decisions. These new services have huge potential for increasing the real-time resilience and adaptability of socio-economic operators faced with climate change in alpine areas. Adapting to climate change in Grenoble : building on DRIAS data TEC completed a study on climate change adaptation for the city of Grenoble using data from the DRIAS-Les Futurs du Climat platform created by Météo France. The platform’s goal is to produce regional climate projections based on EUROCORDEX data and work completed by French research laboratories. TEC, a private-sector company, built on the groundwork completed by a public-sector operator. Modelling, mapping and analysing data ... Private-sector operators in the climate services sector must develop technical skills to understand and master this complex issue. As part of this project developing high-resolution hydro-climatic projections to facilitate water resource cooperation in Palestine, Israel and Jordan, TEC, ACTERRA and ARIA pooled their strengths and expertise. This project, which involved producing ad hoc climate models to 5 km, coupling hydrological models and producing on-line visualisation tools, showed that France is a major player in terms of climate service innovation. EUPORIAS : developing practical and theoretical applications for seasonal forecasts As commercial climate services continue to expand, our knowledge of the climate is constantly improving. TEC will contribute to several work packages in this European research project that seeks to improve the production and use of seasonal forecasts based on user requirements. TEC will provide expertise on climate services in the tourism sector. CLIP-C : coordinating data portals to support climate consulting and engineering agencies Data, data and more data… The Clip-C: Climate Data Portal for Copernicus project seeks to develop and coordinate data portals in the fields of climate change and environmental impacts. Its goal is to improve transparency and access to climate data for European users. TEC contributed to Work Package 2, which aims to define users’ needs and establish a tool box for a wide community of users. Meanwhile, in the Maghreb region, the emphasis is on adaptation
GIZ Algeria asked TEC, ACTERRA and ALCOR to manage a project enabling the main stakeholders in the national climate plan to build capacity and integrate climate change. TEC and Acterra will coordinate the drafting of Tunisia's third national communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Our projects
... our publications Developing climate information portals with users: Promises and pitfalls - Climate Services Using CORDEX to develop the supply of climate services Climat et changement climatique en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - Cahiers du GREC PACA Contribution de G. Dubois (Juillet 2015) Reliability and usability of tourism climate indices Weather preferences of French tourists : lessons for climate change impact assessment EventsGhislain Dubois took part in a roundtable discussing the issue "Towards +2° in the tourism industry, a lever for innovation?" at the Convergences World Forum, held at Brogniart Palace in Paris on 4 and 5 September 2017. To celebrate the launch of PROSNOW, TEC and Météo France are organising an event in Grenoble between 27 and 29 September for French, Austrian, Italian and Swiss partners. IN THE NEWS ! When TEC has unanticipated computer issues !
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