The fourth Webstival of the Climateurope2 project took place on 11 and 12 March 2025. Dr. Grit Martinz from Ecologic Institute presented the results of in-depth ethnographic research on issues of equity in the context of the Most Outer Regions. She highlighted the ongoing impact of colonial structures and attitudes on climate justice, including access to climate services for people of indigenous origin. In doing so, she emphasised the potential of a decolonial ecology in European territories and globally to adapt to the consequences of climate change, together with the political struggles against (post)colonial domination, structural racism and the pollution of the ecosystem.

The session was moderated by Dr. Marina Pacchetti Baldissera (University College London). Dr. Grit Martinez and Dr. Werner Krauss (University of Bremen) opened the session with presenting insights from current research which was followed by a panel debate with representatives of policy and climate authorities and scientist, namely Vincent Amelie (CEO) of the Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA), Dr. Louis Celliers (coastal and marine scientist at the Climate Service Centre Germany), Susannah Fisher (University College London), Dragan Mihic (Group for Climate Monitoring and Analysis), Lan Marie Nguyen Berg (Norwegian MP) and Keith Lambkin (Irish Meteorological Service). 

One of the key objectives of the EU project Climateurope2 is fostering an equitable climate services community. Achieving this requires a shared understanding of equitability in climate services, ensuring fair access, opportunities, and benefits for all stakeholders in all European territories – near and far. Equity also involves addressing systemic barriers that limit participation and recognizing diverse knowledge systems—ranging from scientific expertise to local, experience-based insights.

The session took place at the Climateurope2 Webstival: Fourth edition – Climateurope2 exploring critical questions surrounding inclusivity, trust, and governance in climate services. Experts from academia, national climate service providers, and public institutions discussed: Who is included or excluded in climate service development? How do partnerships foster equity? What risks do governance structures pose? Addressing these questions will help identify pathways toward a more just and participatory climate services ecosystem, ensuring that climate adaptation strategies serve all communities equitably.

In the context of climate services, the ecosystem of actors involved in developing and taking up the service have different starting points regarding relevant areas of expertise, e.g., science-based and technical knowledge about climate change, as well as local knowledge about seasonal changes and the respective adaptive or other management practices. Furthermore, different forms of governance and power relations determine how to engage in co-production, as well different socio-economic backgrounds that might intersect with these different knowledge areas. This implies that in the context of climate services, there are complex power dynamics concerning trust and legitimacy of knowledge holders, forms of governance, accessibility, and other aspects of the climate service components. Climate services need to be embedded in the society in which they operate and hence need to be conscious of how power dynamics affect the interaction between climate service providers and stakeholders. Furthermore, power structures shape what knowledge systems are available to climate service providers as we as climate service market dynamics and, relatedly, the delivery mode of a climate service.

Many of these topics materialize in local provisions of climate services, where municipalities involve different segments of society into adaptation and mitigation measures and provide equal access to climate data, while at the same time including different forms of local knowledge and expertise.

Localized efforts, such as citizen parliaments in Milan, migrant inclusion in Paris, and community-led climate labs in Germany, illustrate ways to integrate diverse voices into adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, challenges persist in balancing market forces, administrative priorities, and community needs.