Co-producing climate stories as climate services for adaptation

As climate change adaptation becomes an increasingly urgent policy domain, the demand for effective, engaging, and usable climate services is rising. Stories – defined as structured narratives that include elements such as setting, characters, and plot - have demonstrated potential in making complex knowledge and information more comprehensible and in sparking curiosity and engagement. While existing literature acknowledges the role of storylines and narratives in developing climate services, few studies have explored stories as climate services in their own right. This study addresses this gap by investigating the process and value of co-producing climate stories as a form of climate service for adaptation in six European cities. We analyze co-production through three interconnected subprocesses: 1) joint exploration and design, 2) joint development, and 3) joint dissemination and evaluation. We examine how these processes shaped both the story products and their perceived value for adaptation practice. The findings show that stories - developed through iterative, trust-based collaboration - can enhance the usability of climate services by making climate knowledge more relatable and accessible. Additionally, such a process can foster internal collaboration across municipal departments and enhanced capacities for adaptation planning and citizen engagement. To fully realize the promising potential of climate stories as engaging climate services, challenges remain in effectively involving citizens in their development. This study contributes novel empirical evidence and conceptual insights on the value of stories as climate services, offering recommendations for practice and future research to advance their use for adapting to climate change.