The advancement of Irish climate services took a significant step forward this week with the hosting of a first ever workshop of the National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS).
Coordinated and led by Met Éireann’s Climate Services Division, the two-day, in-person workshop featured separate focused sessions for the primary stakeholder groups – namely producers and users of climate services – with the aim of engaging in open dialogue and conversations between the NFCS, and stakeholders themselves.
Day one focused on producers, developers and researchers of climate services, with the aim of establishing underpinning information to inform climate services and produce climate services for end users.
Following on from an introduction to the NFCS by Met Éireann’s Head of Climate Services, Keith Lambkin, the feature presentation on day one was from Executive Director of the Swiss National Centre for Climate Services, Angela Michiko Hama.
An action-packed programme continued with talks on the various climate services currently provided and used in Ireland, including from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland, Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), Met Éireann, University College Cork (UCC), Marine Institute and ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University.
Group discussions in full swing at the NFCS Workshop
Government departments, national authorities and semi-state bodies were among those represented in almost 70 guests at day two of the event, which brought together end users of climate services, with the aim of guiding them through how to engage with the NFCS, and how to understand the climate information they need, and where to go for it.
The international perspective this time was provided by the Norwegian Centre for Climate Services Deputy Director, Hans Olav Hygen, who outlined some of the achievements and challenges experienced in Norway since the centre was launched in 2013.
Attentions then turned to the TRANSLATE project, a Met Éireann-led initiative to standardise future climate projections and develop services to aid climate risk decision-making by reviewing existing climate models.
Following on from the TRANSLATE presentation, partner contributors, the EPA and UCC introduced the Climate Ireland platform, the National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) and a demonstration on climate risk.
A key component across the two-day event was the facilitation of group activities, which set out to spark lively discussion, debate, and engagement among the participants, to assist in the further development of climate services.
The landscape in climate services has changed dramatically since the initial meeting of the NFCS nearly two years ago, with private companies now required to produce climate reports and government sectors having to complete the second iteration of Sectoral Adaptation Plans in the coming year.
The NFCS will facilitate coordination across the climate services landscape, and it is hoped this workshop will be the first step in the development of understanding of stakeholders’ needs and requirements.
Members of the Met Éireann Climate Services Division and event coordination team at the NFCS Workshop
For further details and photos from workshop, check out Met Éireann’s LinkedIn page.