Abstract

While cities have always been vulnerable to climate events, the ever-increasing unpredictability of such events supports the need for more robust processes for using climate information. Climate services concern the “user driven development and provision of knowledge for understanding the climate, climate change and its impacts, as well as guidance in its use to researchers and decision makers in policy and business.” (JPI Climate 2011, p.44). To make climate-smart decisions, climate services (i) rely on coding, protocols, systems, and devices; (ii) use action-driven research that bridges the gap between science, business, and policy; and (iii) share workflows and processes (Larosa & Mysiak, 2019).
Emerging climate services must continue to push the barriers that currently exist in terms of inclusive mechanisms for contributing, accessing, and adapting scientific evidence to deliver services that are practice-oriented and consider climate justice. There are also further calls to build partnerships to link and mediate between multiple scales of knowledge and to strengthen climate services through local and situated insights at city level. 
Taking the examples of Cork City and Belfast City, this research categorises and evaluates city-level climate services, and the key actors involved (e.g., local authorities, Met Eireann, HEI’s, and community development coordinators) whilst exploring service-user experiences (e.g., media, sustainability officers, students, city dwellers). This deep dive exploration works toward developing a more consistent and comprehensive understanding and categorisation of services available, their current reach, and their role from a long-term perspective.