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Climate services promise better decisions but mainly focus on better data

Author

Listed:
  • Kieran Findlater

    (University of British Columbia
    University of British Columbia)

  • Sophie Webber

    (The University of Sydney)

  • Milind Kandlikar

    (University of British Columbia
    University of British Columbia)

  • Simon Donner

    (University of British Columbia)

Abstract

Climate services are intended to improve climate-sensitive decisions by making climate information ‘useful, useable and used’. Here, we analyse 27 expert interviews to evaluate whether this user-driven model of climate science has been successfully implemented in the public sector. We show that, although climate services promise better decision-making, they mainly focus on delivering better data. The norms and institutions of climate science produce three key tensions in operationalizing climate services: a focus on products rather than processes, services based on broad assumptions about demand rather than being demand-driven, and the narrow economic valuation of products rather than evaluation of improvements in decision-making. These tensions help explain why climate services often generate nominal changes in climate science where transformations are promised. Transformational change requires that climate services account for diverse social structures, behaviours and contexts. Integrating social science is no panacea for demand-driven climate services, but it is certainly a prerequisite.

Suggested Citation

  • Kieran Findlater & Sophie Webber & Milind Kandlikar & Simon Donner, 2021. "Climate services promise better decisions but mainly focus on better data," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(9), pages 731-737, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:11:y:2021:i:9:d:10.1038_s41558-021-01125-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-01125-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Surminski, Swenja & Barnes, Jonathan & Vincent, Katharine, 2022. "Can insurance catalyse government planning on climate? Emergent evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    2. Owuor John Ochieng & Michael Omondi Owiso & Dominic Kniventon & Barack Omondi Calvince, 2023. "An Analysis of the Influence of Fisher-Folks’ Perceptions on Uptake of Impact-Based Forecasting Weather Information for Adaptation to Nocturnal Storms," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(10), pages 1453-1472, October.
    3. Xueke Li & Amanda H. Lynch, 2023. "New insights into projected Arctic sea road: operational risks, economic values, and policy implications," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(4), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Surminski, Swenja & Barnes, Jonathan & Vincent, Katharine, 2022. "Can insurance catalyse government planning on climate? Emergent evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113564, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Steinke, Jonathan & Ortiz-Crespo, Berta & van Etten, Jacob & Müller, Anna, 2022. "Participatory design of digital innovation in agricultural research-for-development: insights from practice," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    6. Robert Wilby & Xianfu Lu, 2022. "Tailoring climate information and services for adaptation actors with diverse capabilities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 174(3), pages 1-13, October.

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