H2020 CLARA Project: Climate-enabled knowledge services

Climate variability and change (CVC) embody considerable economic, social, and environmental risks in Europe and globally. Climate services (CS) (Brasseur and Gallardo, 2016; Brooks, 2013; Lourenco et al., 2015) are essential to catalyze economic and social transformations that not only reduce these risks and/or enhance societal resilience, but also unleash Europe’s innovation potential, competitiveness, and economic growth. As part of European efforts to catalyze the potential of climate services for more efficient natural resource management and improved disaster risk management and resilience, the CLARA project will boost the innovation and uptake of climate services based on top-line seasonal and decadal forecasts and climate projections.

Building on advances in climate modeling and science within the context of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the CLARA project will illustrate the genuine benefits and economic value of climate services in the face of near-term climate variability and change. A portfolio of climate services co-designed and co-developed by users will contribute to improved policymaking and decision-making in the five GFCS priority areas: disaster risk reduction, water resources management, agriculture and food security, renewable energy, and public health. Carefully designed commercial and marketing strategies will promote their uptake, contribute to a dynamic European climate services market, and foster European innovation potential.