About us

The C3S mission is to support adaptation and mitigation policies of the European Union by providing consistent and authoritative information about climate change. We offer free and open access to climate data and tools based on the best available science. We listen to our users and endeavour to help them meet their goals in dealing with the impacts of climate change.

C3S users include scientists, consultants, planners and policymakers, the media and the public. Our data and tools are used for a variety of purposes, for example:

• assessment of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Costa Rica
• risk management for commodity trading at Marex Spectron
• sustainable water management at the Heineken brewery

C3S is one of six thematic information services provided by the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme of the European Union. Copernicus is an operational programme building on existing research infrastructures and knowledge available in Europe and elsewhere. C3S relies on climate research carried out within the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and responds to user requirements defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). C3S provides an important resource to the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).

C3S is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission. ECMWF is an independent intergovernmental organisation serving its Member and Co-operating States and the broader community. The majority of C3S service elements are implemented by about 260 companies and organisations across Europe, which are selected based on competitive Invitations To Tender (ITTs).

We provide climate data and information on impacts on a range of topics and sectoral areas through our Climate Data Store (CDS). The CDS is designed to enable users to tailor services to more specific public or commercial needs.

Our work complements the established range of meteorological and environmental services that each European country already has in place. We derive maximum benefit from the existing infrastructure and knowledge by involving national climate service providers as well as relevant academic communities in the implementation of C3S.

We share updates on developments to our service at many meetings and workshops, including our annual General Assemblies. These meetings also allow members of the climate change community to join networking and brainstorming sessions to contribute to future developments of C3S.

We also offer technical support as well as training to users of the CDS, combining online learning with face-to-face events in most countries across Europe.