Climate data and information is central to understanding the risks of climate change and to planning for adaptive actions to reduce such risks. The multi-scale, multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder nature of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation require effective and sustained collaboration between the providers and users in order to ensure the relevance, practicality and applicability of climate data and information. The Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change was launched as a mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to engage stakeholders, facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration, and catalyze targeted actions on adaptation. The NWP has engaged a wide array of stakeholders, providers, users and knowledge intermediaries for climate data and information. Through discussions under the NWP, Parties to the UNFCCC recognized that there is an urgent need to improve the provision and delivery of climate information, particularly in developing countries. Improvement in the availability of and access to high quality observed climate data and climate scenarios, practical guidance for the use of climate information, and the systematic documentation and wide dissemination of good practices in applying climate information to support adaptation are all identified as priority areas of work. These clearly defined priorities, together with synergies among relevant initiatives, represent considerable opportunities to enhance the provision and delivery of climate information and services, particularly within the context of the development and implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).
Lu, XF
Provision of climate information for adaptation to climate change
Climate Research