A tool to communicate to the adaptation community: a guidebook on climate scenarios

English Abstract:

Climate change is a reality that is forcing decision-makers to assess its related risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities. This requires decision-makers to improve their general understanding of climate information. This guide on climate scenarios constitutes a new tool with the objective of helping users become more familiar with different types of climate information so that this information is increasingly incorporated into adaptation frameworks. The guide is intended to all actors involved in climate change adaptation, from the early stages of general climate change awareness to the implementation of adaptation measures. The document is organised around three main sections. The first section presents a unique way to classify climate information using a decision tree. This tool allows users orient themselves toward one of three large climate information categories, namely basic, intermediate, or detailed, based on several factors such as the use of the information, the climate variables of interest, and the spatial and temporal scales of the information provided. The next section presents a catalogue of numerous different formats that can be used in order to customize and present climate information to various users, according to their expertise and personal preference, among others. This section aims to help users better analyse different climate information products and to better evaluate the usefulness and limitation of the climate information that is presented. Finally, a third section describes many key concepts in climate modeling. The guide highlights the fact that all climate information, regardless of its complexity, can be used to make decisions. It is important to recognize the right information for the right use or purpose.