Robustness of Climate Change Information for Decisions
Workshop | Brussels, Belgium and online | April 22-24, 2024
PROGRAM
The following program gives an overview of the activities.
For a more detailed PDF version, choose ‘Detailed Agenda’ or see below.
The links for virtual participants have been sent by email.
April 22, 2024: Perspectives on the challenges
9:00 – 10:30
Room 4A
OPENING PERSPECTIVES
This session seeks to present a big-picture view to aid the diversity of participants in engaging with the breadth of the challenge we seek to address.
Moderators: Kevin Horsburgh and Bruce Hewitson
Welcome from the co-chairs (Bruce Hewitson and Kevin Horsburgh)
Perspectives panel:
- Perspectives and priorities of national, international, and philanthropic
organisations on the need for and development of robust climate information
(Arame Tall) - Climate services and the construction and communication of robust
information on future climate (Richard Jones) - Science of robust regional climate information (Francisco Doblas Reyes)
- Ethical considerations (Monica Morrison)
11:00 – 13:00
Room 4A
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS A ROBUST REGIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION
With the diverseness of the participants, it is critical to develop an increased comprehension of the contrasting perspectives of communities other than one’s own, and so better represent one’s own community with an understanding of how others may see issues differently.
Moderator: Monica Morrison
Language and terminology keynote presentation: Coleen Vogel
• Introduction to deep listening: Bruce Hewitson
• Learning narratives:
- Physical science: Bart van den Hurk and Genito Maure
- Climate services: Faye Cruz
- Funding agency: Mark Tadross
- Financing agency: Madeleine Thomson
- Cities: Katharine Vincent
- Small Islands: Michael Taylor
14:00 – 15:30
Room 4A, 3A and 3C
BREAK-OUT #1: DEFINING ”ROBUST INFORMATION”
Context: Given how different sources of climate information are non-congruent yet each are nominally defensible, a leading imperative is to develop defensible measures of information “robustness” that are appropriate for informing decision maker’s choices that lead to real societal consequences.
Goal of the discussion: To move the different communities forward to better assess and articulate measures of robustness of climate information for decisions with societal consequence. The group should explore the diversity of understanding of what the term “robust information” means in different communities, how this is assessed, the appropriateness and inadequacies of current approaches, and suggest new avenues of development potential to enhance the measures of robustness.
Questions:
- What are the different ways to understand what “robust” should / does mean?
- What (new) metrics could better help to identify degrees of robustness?
- What (new) approaches could enhance the process to reach context-relevant measures of robustness?
16:00 – 17:00
Room 4A
REPORT BACK AND OPEN DISCUSSION
Facilitated discussion to pull out the headline messages of the day.
Moderator: Richard Jones
April 23, 2024: Exploring pathways to moving forward
8:45 – 10:00
Room 4A
DEVELOPING NEW AND NECESSARY DIALOGUES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES ON REGIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION
This session aims at exploring how to better foster crucial dialogues between diverse communities in order to enhance the development and application of regional climate information. This panel discussion will explore innovative approaches to bridge some of the gaps that exist between the science community, funding agencies, national governments, and stakeholders, as well as limitations therein that need to be addressed in order for such bridging to occur. It will also examine conditions that are needed to establish sustained cross-cutting dialogues, explore knowledge gaps and knowledge-translation needs, ensure stronger representation of the global south in climate research agenda-setting and action, address disparities in funding agendas, and highlight missing dialogues that are needed to advance climate literacy. Through case study examples, the speakers will explore the knowledge gaps that constrain, and knowledge needs that could enhance, the efficacy of their activities.
Moderator: Wendy Sharples
Recap of day 1: Bruce Hewitson
• Panel discussion: Developing new and necessary dialogues between communities on regional climate information
- Building dialogues within the science community: Mat Collins and Izidine Pinto
- Building dialogues between funding / finance agencies / national governments / and the science community: John Rossiter and Sepo Hachigonta
- Building dialogues around climate services and climate literacy: Jon Padgham and Mandira Shresta
10:00 – 11:00
Room 4A and 5B
BREAK-OUT #2: DEVELOPING NEW AND NECESSARY DIALOGUES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES REGARDING REGIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION
In our increasingly interconnected world, the exchange of regional climate information is primordial for informed decision-making, sustainable development, and effective adaptation strategies. However, bridging the gap between various communities involved in climate-related endeavours poses a significant challenge.
Questions:
- What types of sustained dialogues would be beneficial?
- What modalities would be functional and pragmatic?
11:30 – 13:00
Room 4A
LESSONS FROM THE PAST ON DEALING WITH NON-CONGRUENCY OF REGIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION
In this session, we will delve into the complexities of dealing with non-congruency (inconsistency across different sources and forms of information) in regional climate information and the lessons gleaned from past experiences. The session will feature case examples from both the Global North and the Global South, highlighting efforts to overcome the dilemma where climate information plays a central role in stakeholders’ decision-making processes. Structured around four different perspectives – stakeholders, climate service providers, the climate research community, and global North-South collaboration – the session will comprise eight presentations. Each perspective will be presented once from a Global South viewpoint and once from a Global North viewpoint, offering an understanding of the challenges and strategies from diverse geographical contexts, complicated by issues inherent in the heterogeneity of culture, values, and capacity.
Moderator: Dragana Bojovic
Panelists:
- Mandira Shrestha
- Lola Corre
- Michael Grose
- Mat Collins
- Linda Ogallo
- Vaileth Jonas
- Alex Hall
14:00 – 14:30
Room 4A
REPORT BACK AND OPEN DISCUSSION
Discuss headline messages about gaps and needs.
Moderator: Kevin Horsburgh
14:30 – 15:30
Room 4A
THEORY AND PRACTICE: ENVISIONING WAYS FORWARD
This session will set the stage for the rest of the meeting’s discussions about next steps. We aim to encourage a balance between creativity, working within practical constraints, and setting realistic targets of measurable progress. We will propose some potential structures for ongoing organizing and approaches for building broader consensus among our colleagues and communities of practice. We will challenge participants to alternatively engage in idealistic “blue sky” thinking, and play “devil’s advocate” about pragmatism.
Moderator: Bruce Hewitson
16:00 – 17:00
Room 4A and 3B
BREAK-OUT #3: BRAINSTORMING PRAGMATIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION
Goal of the discussion: Brainstorm new initiatives on advancing “robustness” of regional information for society and how to develop new approaches to overcoming the non-congruence in ways that are practical, sellable (i.e. would appeal to funders), and could deliver measurable added value.
Intended outcomes: The discussion should build on previous discussions on robust information and lead to suggestions for pragmatic approaches to develop constructing information by means of collaborations within and between different sectors. These proposed ways forward should inactivate projects in this direction
Questions:
- What are important background factors and considerations that shape the potential collaboration area for addressing non-congruence? What’s the context?
- What factors hinder collaborations to address non-congruence, in the context of the potential collaboration area under discussion?
- What are key opportunities for collaborations that addresses non-congruence in the context of the potential collaboration area under discussion?
- What are concrete actions/next steps that need to be taken?
April 24, 2024: Actions
8:45 – 9:30
Room 4A
COLLATION AND CATEGORIZATION OF OPTIONS FOR INITIATIVES ALREADY RAISED
Recap Day 2. RIfS presents an initial distillation of ideas from days 1 and 2. Open discussion to refine priority foci.
Moderator: Bill Gutowski
9:30 – 10:30
Room 4A
WORLD-CAFÉ ON WRITTEN OUTPUT TOPICS
Stations for each suggested output anchored by two individuals from different communities. Participants move freely and make suggestions on foci and content for a topic, and make commitments for where they would be willing to engage.
11:00 – 12:00
Room 4A, 3A, 3C
BREAK-OUT #4: CONCEPT PROPOSALS FOR POST WORKSHOP ACTIONS
Goal: Identify key topics that would most benefit from further and sustained activity following this meeting, leading to specific outputs. Define those outputs, those responsible for further actions, and time scales
The six different groups will each focus on one of the topics below. Participants will be invited to sign up for one group during day 1 of the meeting. The topics are:
- Developing good-practice guidance for decision makers that draws on transdisciplinary perspectives (that is synergistic with or contributes to other international activities (e.g. IPCC, World Adaptation Science Programme)
- Establishing sustained platforms (local/regional/international) for supporting decision makers based on transdisciplinary expert communities
- Research actions/outputs on characterizing and communicating uncertainty and non-congruence of model projections
- Research actions/outputs on definitions and metrics of robustness of regional information that are relevant to decision makers/in a decision-making context
- Initiatives for transforming the global north-south power dynamics into peer partnerships with equality in adaptation decision support
- Developing transparency and ethical responsibility to support equity and inclusion in decision-making.
12:00 – 13:00
Room 4A
REPORT BACK AND OPEN DISCUSSION
Discuss headline messages about gaps and needs.
Moderator: Francisco Doblas Reyes
14:00 – 15:30
Room 4A
PATHWAYS FORWARD TOWARDS ENHANCING ROBUST, ACTIONABLE AND ADEQUATE FOR PURPOSE REGIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION
In this final plenary of the meeting, we will have five brief panels in which 2-3 people (per panel) will have been invited to reflect on the entire workshop. Each panel of 2-3 will represent differing perspectives from within a community of practice that has participated in the workshop: the research community, funders, the impacts and adaptation community, climate services, and decision-makers. These individuals will share what they are taking away, and what they see as priorities among the next-steps we will have discussed. As throughout the meeting, we aim to have a geographically diverse set of perspectives highlighted supported by dynamic conversations and input from all.
Moderator: Kevin Horsburgh
16:00 – 17:00
Room 4A
Contact
Please address questions to the WCRP RIfS International Project Office at admin@wcrp-rifs.org