Ethics Working Group

The CSP’s Ethics Working Group is a collaborative activity that draws on the discussions at the first side event on climate services ethics, held in conjunction with the Third International Conference on Climate Services (ICCS 3) in December 2013.

Two areas have been identified as priorities:

1) standards for climate information products delivered in the name of climate services; and

2) guidelines for the conduct of climate services.

The first is concerned with the matter of quality control, and fostering of good practices in information for climate services, while the second deals with identifying and promoting standards for such attributes as equity, accessibility, transparency, and accountability.

White Paper

The Working Group met in June 2012 to draft a white paper that was later presented at ICCS 4 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The white paper is available here: CS Ethics White Paper Oct 2015

Endorsement. The white paper has now been endorsed by organizations including the Global Framework for Climate Services, the Climate Knowledge Brokers, the START Secretariat, the Red Cross Climate Centre, and the Climate Change Agriculture & Food Security Theme of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.

Feedback. It has also been released for comment, which will be accepted until March 1, 2016.

Comments, questions, suggestions?

With questions, comments, or for more information, please contact Cathy Vaughan at cvaughan@iri.columbia.edu.