We need to adapt as our global climate changes, prepare for more severe weather events. To avoid disaster, warnings must be relevant and data/research well used.
Weather Ready Climate Smart Fri 23rd March 2018
The WMO is the World Meteorological Organisation - a specialised agency within the United Nations. They promote data exchange, research and oversee the vast global observation network. There is also support and education for nations that need it and the investigations of weather, climate and water impacts.
This year there are three headings; Weather Ready, Climate Smart and Water Wise
“People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, which include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. The greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are driving climate change and continue to rise. They are now at their highest levels in history. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is projected to rise over the 21st century and is likely to surpass 3 degrees Celsius this century—with some areas of the world expected to warm even more. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most.”
Each decade is warmer. Arctic ice is melting fast. The sea has reached its highest level in 3 000 years.
Climate changes all the time but this time it's different. People are causing much of that change – and it's happening fast.
Weather Ready
The global population keeps on growing as our climate changes. These changes mean that there are more extreme weather events, they are more severe. Heavy rains with flash flooding, tropical cyclones (typhoons or hurricanes), storm surges, wind and lightning storms, heatwaves and drought. These events will keep on coming and will affect many parts of the world.
“One of the top priorities of WMO and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (like the UK Met Office) is to protect lives, livelihoods and property from the risks related to weather, climate and water events. Early warning systems and other disaster risk reduction measures are vital for boosting the resilience of communities."
How are we going to adapt to cope with our changing climate and survive? The WMO promotes interaction between national met services around the world, promotes research, monitors observing networks and the quality of the data, encourages engagement in prediction and projections of how the climate will change, sharing that data and research findings to be used by governments around the world, if it is wanted.
The UN has 17 sustainable development goals, one being Climate Action, but many goals link to the work of the WMO. There is the political side to reducing our global human impacts but also the preventative measures needed now at country or local level. Flood barriers, renewable energies, adapting the plants in your garden, the foods we grow, the packaging for our weekly shop, allergy seasons. Not just life-threatening disasters. It is an everyday web, linking many issues and the WMO want us to take note.
The UK Met Office changed to an impact based warning system several years ago; the WMO want more nations to do this. Some confusion still exists with the general public about this but no warning system will be perfect. Getting away from IMBY bias, understanding of showers, the overall uncertainty of forecasting, confidence and risk. It’s a difficult subject. Social Media has helped in many ways with spreading the messages but also allows anyone and their dog to make wild claims with no comeback. Who do we then believe, listen to, share. Not the most hysterical or the most DRAMATIC. Reliable partners spreading clear, consistent weather information, warnings and data help people be weather ready.
For the public, reading up on what the levels of weather warning or flood warning mean, how it works is part of the preparation. What do you do when a red warning si issued to Take Action? That information needs to be readily available and easy to understand. There will be more extreme weather events in the future; people have to recognise their responsibility in this too.
Climate Smart
Climate is the average weather conditions of an area of a long period. Climates fluctuate all the time – over seasons and years. The average climate is determined from a calculation of the conditions over a 30-year period. Currently, data is often compared to 1981-2010 period.
The weather has long buffeted farmers, a late spring, a wet harvest, a mild winter. Overriding the seasonal ups and downs, there are the background climate trends and the individual interruptions from severe weather events.
Climate-smart farmers use weather outlooks to decide which seeds to plant, when best to plant, whether irrigation will be required when best to harvest and to make other important decisions
“Scientists have been observing changes in the climate that cannot be attributed solely to natural influences. These changes are occurring rapidly, are significant, and will have consequences for this and future generations. Changes in climate variability and extremes driven by human-induced climate change are some of the key challenges facing humanity.”
Message from the WMO
Water Wise
Water-wise is the third part of the WMO day slogan. Hydrological monitoring increases our understanding of the water cycle and so supports water management. Our environmental agencies work closely with the Meteorological Office in many ways, in particular with the severe weather and flood warnings. It’s not just the events of drought or flooding, it’s the overall management of fresh water for farming, industry, energy and our home taps. Spain, Portugal and South Africa are already struggling with water shortage; we see stories popping up in the news. Think of Houston under all that water after Hurricane Harvey, which broke the US record for rainfall from a single tropical storm. A warmer earth allows more moisture in the atmosphere, more precipitation results, heavier rains, worsing flood risk. There is a lot to consider.
Our planet is warming up fast. This will continue to have an effect on our weather, climate and sea levels. We need to significantly reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions. We need to burn less fossil fuels, invest in clean and renewable energy, and reduce tropical deforestation. What can you do?
The lazy person’s guide to saving the world, ideas from your sofa, in your home, neighbourhood and workplace. Have a read this world meteorological day.
