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Short Abstract

Comparative insights from three Horizon Europe projects—CROSSEU, OptFor-EU, and CARMINE—show how participatory Decision Support Systems evolve into actionable climate and decarbonisation services, linking science, policy, and stakeholders to strengthen Europe’s climate resilience.

Abstract

This paper explores how participatory approaches to Decision Support Systems (DSS) generate actionable climate services that strengthen climate resilience and evidence-based decision-making. Drawing on three Horizon Europe projects—CROSSEU, OptFor-EU, and CARMINE—it analyses how citizen science, stakeholder co-creation, and multi-actor engagement transform complex modelling and data into user-oriented, operational climate services.

In CROSSEU, cross-sectoral collaboration drives the co-design of a DSS for assessing socio-economic climate risks—including heatwaves, droughts, floods, and energy insecurity—illustrating how participatory processes enhance the usability and policy integration of risk assessments. OptFor-EU engages forest managers, policymakers, and local communities to co-develop a forest DSS supporting climate-smart and decarbonisation-oriented management under threats such as wildfire, pest outbreaks, and biodiversity loss. The project demonstrates how co-created decision tools evolve into climate services that inform sustainable forest practices and carbon mitigation strategies. CARMINE integrates citizen observatories and municipal partnerships to co-produce urban DSS applications addressing air quality, heat stress, and flood vulnerability, linking participatory monitoring with tailored local climate services.

Across the three initiatives, key lessons learned include: (1) co-creation enhances the legitimacy and practical value of DSS outputs; (2) integrating diverse user knowledge increases the spatial and contextual precision of climate data; and (3) the transition from DSS to operational climate and decarbonisation services depends on institutional support, interoperability, and long-term stakeholder engagement. Collectively, these projects illustrate how participatory DSS development can catalyse inclusive, science-based climate services across Europe.