Turning Climate Data into Action: Teal’s First Webinar

A couple of months ago, we hosted the first in a new series of Teal Tool webinars, the kick–off in a series of events designed to show how climate data can be made accessible and actionable for everyone. Hosted by the World Energy & Meteorology Council (WEMC) and Inside Climate Service (ICS), the session offered a live walkthrough of some of the Teal Tool‘s different versions — from global climate data visualisations to tailored applications like Teal FOCUS–Africa and the WMO Energy Resilience Atlas. 

Lessons Learnt and Highlights 

During the webinar, participants saw firsthand how Teal bridges the gap between data and decision-making. As WEMC’s CEO and Managing Director Prof. Alberto Troccoli noted, “If data is not accessible, it’s not useful.” This philosophy guides Teal’s evolution — making climate, energy, and social indicators clear and easy to interpret. 

From the Head of the Scientific and Technical Team, Penny Boorman’s demo of Teal’s core features, to data engineer Kristian Nielsen’s deep dive into the FOCUS-Africa Teal capabilities, the webinar highlighted how the tool is both versatile and user-friendly The live demo of the PDF bulletin generator — which automatically summarises forecasts — drew particular attention as a practical feature for users on the ground. 

Engaging Questions, Shared Curiosity 

The audience’s enthusiasm was evident – they asked thoughtful, practical questions — showing genuine curiosity about how Teal could be used in their own contexts. 

• One attendee asked whether all Teal versions — including FOCUS-Africa and the WMO Energy Resilience Atlas — would eventually be publicly available. Penny Boorman explained that some Teal versions are already available for free public use. Other tailored versions have been released or are under development through collaborative projects, with the goal of making as much data as possible freely accessible over time. 

• Another attendee asked whether Teal could be used for city-level analysis or to address challenges such as urban flooding. Kristian Nielsen explained that new datasets are being explored to support applications like renewable energy planning and climate resilience. 

• Another attendee asked whether Teal could support offshore wind and solar energy forecasting. Prof. Alberto Troccoli highlighted that this is exactly where Teal’s flexibility lies — allowing users to visualise and compare datasets across multiple energy sectors and better understand climate trends that affect resource availability. 

• Finally, several users expressed interest in the PDF bulletin generator showcased during the demo which was developed for FOCUS-Africa Teal. Penny confirmed that this feature can indeed be adapted for different use cases, for example to include specific indicators or tailored layouts for institutional reports. 

The lively exchange demonstrated the growing demand for tools that not only visualise climate data but make it useful, interpretable, and applicable to real-world challenges.  

Looking Ahead 

After addressing the audience’s questions, it was clear that Teal is not just a tool, but a starting point for exploration and discussion. Participants’ curiosity and the range of practical applications they envisioned highlighted the importance of making climate data both accessible and interactive.  

Building on this experience, the upcoming webinar aims to bring a new audience — students and educators — into the conversation, showing how Teal can turn climate data into clear, meaningful insights for everyone, regardless of technical background.

The next Teal webinar, Exploring the Climate with Teal: What the Data Tell Us, is designed specifically for a non-technical audience, including high school and university students and educators. Scheduled for Tuesday, 25 November, 13:00–14:00 CEST, this session will take participants on a hands-on journey through Teal, demonstrating how climate variables like temperature, precipitation, wind speed, solar radiation and carbon emissions can be visualised, analysed, and interpreted in real-world contexts. 

What Participants Can Expect 

• Interactive demonstrations: Each speaker — Kristian, Penny, and Alberto — will present a climate variable, showing how to generate graphs and explore trends using Teal. 

• Real-world connections: Case studies and news examples will illustrate how the platform supports education goals, from understanding climate change to analysing carbon emissions. 

This second webinar continues the spirit of exploration from the first session, offering a new audience the opportunity to see how Teal makes climate data approachable, interpretable, and actionable. Whether you are teaching, learning, or simply curious about climate, this session will equip you with the skills to turn complex data into meaningful insights.