Lessons learned from effective user-provider communication schemes

The present report is the result of the one-year project “Adapting to Climate Change - Challenges for Scientists and Policy-Makers” conducted by the Centre for International Governance with the support of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The project's objective was to explore ways to improve communication between scientists and policy-makers with a specific focus on discussions leading to the World Climate Conference 3 held in Geneva in September 2009. The project  focus was on the international and national processes and institutions that broker the transfer of scientific knowledge to political decision-makers and more generally to stakeholders at the international and national levels.

Drawing on empirical case study evidence as well as on the results of workshops and seminars conducted in the framework of this project, the present report proposes an array of lessons learned as well as recommendations in the field of climate information for decision-making. These concern on the one hand the overall discrepancies between demand and supply and needs and deficits of climate information. On the other hand, they highlight both the deficits of existing climate information frameworks as well as the opportunities created by recent innovative solutions. As a  conclusion the report suggests several mechanisms in order to make a Global Framework for Climate Services, as proposed by the WCC-3, as useful and effective as possible for the diversity of the concerned stakeholders.

More information on the project can be found here.