Adopting a user-oriented approach to make climate information more accessible across Europe

This Stockholm Environment Institute discussion brief presents findings from the ClimVis Europe pilot project, which sought to develop a transnational, multilinguistic visualization tool for climate information. Based on a survey of 390 users and focus groups with 48 stakeholders across six European countries, the brief identifies critical gaps in the accessibility of climate data for non-experts, specifically regarding language barriers and the lack of connection between real-time weather events and long-term climate trends.

• There is a significant gap in the accessibility of climate information for non-experts, who often find existing data complex and difficult to interpret. Users require information that is easy to access, provided in their native language, and designed to link real-time weather events with long-term climate developments to effectively reduce risks and support adaptation.
• Language is a primary barrier to climate information access in Europe, particularly for users at local and regional levels and those in Russia and Eastern Europe. While 95% of surveyed users prefer accessing information in their own language, many existing tools are provided exclusively in English, which excludes a large portion of the target audience.
• Existing climate tools fail to provide the necessary context by not linking short-term meteorological events with long-term climatic trends. Users identified this connection as essential for assessing adaptation needs and climate change-related impacts.
• A survey of users across six countries revealed that precipitation (including averages, droughts, and heavy precipitation) and temperatures (averages and heat waves) are the most universally relevant climate parameters across different sectors.
• Evaluation of three existing tools showed varying user perceptions: the Global Climate Monitor was rated most positively for attractiveness and clarity but lacked depth; the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal was seen as the most stimulating and novel; and the Copernicus Climate Information Portal was perceived as the most complex and least clear for end users.
• Users of weather and climate data in Europe generally have low awareness of available tools. While increasing awareness is necessary, the authors argue that providers must co-develop new tools with stakeholders to truly meet user demands and support the uptake of information.

APA

Hoy, A., Swartling, Å. G., & Leander, E. (2022). Adopting a user-oriented approach to make climate information more accessible across Europe. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/adopting-a-user-oriented-approach-to-make-climate-information-more-accessible-across-europe.pdf

Chicago

Hoy, Andreas, Åsa Gerger Swartling, and Elin Leander. Adopting a user-oriented approach to make climate information more accessible across Europe. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/adopting-a-user-oriented-approach-to-make-climate-information-more-accessible-across-europe.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoy |first1=Andreas |last2=Swartling |first2=Åsa Gerger |last3=Leander |first3=Elin |title=Adopting a user-oriented approach to make climate information more accessible across Europe |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/adopting-a-user-oriented-approach-to-make-climate-information-more-accessible-across-europe.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoy2022adopting, author = {Hoy, Andreas and Swartling, Åsa Gerger and Leander, Elin}, title = {{Adopting a user-oriented approach to make climate information more accessible across Europe}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/adopting-a-user-oriented-approach-to-make-climate-information-more-accessible-across-europe.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }