REGIONAL CLIMATE SERVICES WORKSHOP 2011

Dates: November 21-23, 2011

Location: University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Cost: We are working towards options that will make the workshop possible without the need to charge a registration fee. However, a nominal fee of $100 (CDN) may become necessary. All participants will be notified if this is the case.

Registration: Please fill out the form that is applicable for you   presenter registration form  |  participant registration form

Deadline: September 15, 2011

The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (Victoria, Canada) and the Institute for Coastal Research, Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht (Germany) cordially invite you to participate in the workshop "Exploring Regional Climate Services: Meeting Stakeholder Needs for Practical Climate Information".

The three-day workshop will consider the various ways in which climate information is communicated to stakeholders, how regional culture influences the flow of information, and the role that regional climate services play in mediating the flow of information. With an expected attendance of 100 people, the workshop will bring stakeholders and climate service providers together with scientists and the media to discuss communication approaches, scientific tools, stakeholder needs, and the role of mass media in shaping perspectives.

Policy and planning decisions are influenced by projected long-term changes in climate on a range of spatial and temporal scales. In order to adapt and to ensure resilience, stakeholders require specific knowledge about regional climatology, climate change, impacts and vulnerabilities. These information requirements are often sector and region specific. Vulnerability to climate variation and change depends upon the sector under consideration, the infrastructure and mode of operation present in a given region, and upon the regional culture. Therefore, stakeholder dialogue is needed at the regional level to identify user and region specific requirements for practical climate information. A Regional Climate Service organization conducts this dialogue with a focus on regional climate change within the context of the regional culture, mostly at the state or provincial level, serving governments, municipalities and economic sectors. On this basis appropriate communication strategies and tools are developed.

This workshop is hosted by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium and the Institute for Coastal Research, Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht (Germany), with co-sponsors, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, the University of Victoria, and the KlimaCampus Hamburg. It is organized by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium and the North German Climate Office.