Mitigating Climate Impacts on Society: Climate Services Toolkit Coordination, Development, and Implementation

The WMO Commission on Climatology (CCl) supports the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) with a particular focus on the Climate Services Information System (CSIS), which is the core operational component of GFCS at global, regional, and national levels. CSIS is designed for producing, packaging, and operationally delivering authoritative climate information data and products through appropriate operational systems, practices, data exchange, technical standards, authentication, communication, and product delivery. Its functions include climate data, analysis and monitoring, assessment and attribution, prediction (monthly, seasonal, decadal), and projection (centennial scale) as well as tailoring the associated products to suit user requirements.

A central, enabling piece of the implementation of CSIS is a Climate Services Toolkit (CST). While in its development phase, CST exists as a prototype (www.wmo.int/cst) compilation of tools for generating tailored data and products for decision-making, with a special focus on national requirements in developing countries. WMO provides a server to house the CST prototype as well as support for operations and maintenance. WMO members provide technical expertise and other in-kind support, including leadership of the CSIS development team.

Several recent WMO events have helped with the deployment of CST within selected countries to expedite development of climate services at national levels. Currently these countries are outlining climate services projects focusing on service development and delivery for selected economic sectors, such as agriculture, energy, health, water resources, and hydrometeorological disaster risk reduction. These countries are working together with their respective WMO Regional Climate Centers (RCCs), which provide technical assistance with implementation of climate services projects at the country level and facilitate development of tailored regional climate products, starting with the CST. This paper will introduce the CST prototype to the wider meteorological, hydrological, and climatological communities and provide details of its implementation in the context of the global framework.