Involving users

The involvement of users in the development of UKCP09 has been wider than the existence of the Users’ Panel alone. Following release of UKCIP02 and leading up to UKCP09, UKCIP has engaged and consulted with a broad spectrum of users of UK climate projections. The intent has been to inform developments in what information is provided, as well as the means of delivery of that information.

Consultation:

To involve users in the early stages of the UKCP09 process, UKCIP held several workshops between 2004 and 2006 involving a broad range of existing and potential users of UK climate projections. This series of workshops was followed by a web-based consultation in 2006 that provided an opportunity for a larger range of UKCIP stakeholders to express their preferences on various aspects related to the delivery and presentation of UKCP09. A report detailing the results of this consultation exercise is available on the UKCIP website.

In terms of general feedback from users, there continues to be five over-riding interests:

• Improved spatial and temporal details;
• Improved consideration and quantification of associated uncertainties;
• Improved accessibility of climate change information;
• More information about climate change in the marine environment; and
• More information on how to use climate information most effectively within impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessments.

The consultations have also provided UKCIP with a better understanding of the spectrum of users and various uses made of climate information by reflecting on the experiences gained from applying UKCIP02 products, namely:

• A majority of respondents to the consultations had used the UKCIP02 climate change scenarios, most commonly accessing them through the summary report, technical report or electronic maps.
• The broad range of uses made of UKCIP02 can be crudely divided into those associated with specific research, policy or design decisions, and those associated with general awareness-raising and communication.

Users Panel:

During the latter stages of the UKCP09 development process it was recognised that more informed user feedback and guidance was essential, and thus users needed to be more formally engaged in the process. The User’s Panel, chaired by UKCIP, helped to fulfil this purpose. This Panel has brought together a representative cross-section of users of climate change scenarios and related information. Members’ views and suggestions have been sought on various aspects of the development and delivery of UKCP09, with the understanding that when providing those views and suggestions they are representing their wider user community. The Users’ Panel also operated with the understanding that many fundamental decisions about the methodology for constructing the Projections had already been made by Defra and the Met Office Hadley Centre.

Discussions with experts:

In addition, targeted consultations have also been undertaken on specific aspects associated with delivering UKCP09. One important topic has been how best to communicate probabilistic climate projections to users. To gain some insights, informal discussions were held with various (academic) experts who were deemed to have experience and insights in this or related fields. Views and guidance provided included the need for users to clearly understand the limitations and assumptions embedded in the Projections, to describe the probabilistic projections as conditional on the method used to produce them and to provide clear and practical examples of how to (and in some cases how not to) use and interpret the Projections and related information. An interesting observation is that at the same time as UKCP09 has been developed, there has been increased work within the climate change research community on the issue of communicating uncertainty, including further guidance or best practices (see IPCC).

Familiarisation workshops:

Regional familiarisation workshops (also informed by conversations with academic experts) were offered to each English region and Devolved Administration, and were organised with the assistance of regional climate change partnerships or their equivalent. These events were primarily aimed at introducing users to UKCP09, the principles behind it and the range of products that will be available. However, equally important secondary aims revolved around gaining user feedback and suggestions on different aspects of UKCP09 presentation. This included what user guidance they would require to facilitate their use of UKCP09. It has led to the identification of a preliminary list of common questions (Frequently asked questions) and  has also provided an opportunity to identify users who are willing to explore the use of UKCP09 products and share their experience (UKCIP case studies).