Earth Today | World Meteorological Congress sets new strategic priorities

THE World Meteorological Congress has approved new strategic priorities to guide it through the next four years, at a time of rapid climate, societal and technological change.

It has also appointed its first female secretary general, Professor Celeste Saulo.

“WMO’s (World Meteorological Organization) top over-arching goal will be the achievement of the groundbreaking international campaign to ensure that everyone on earth is protected against hazardous weather by life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027,” said a June 2 press release from the entity, which is regarded as the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water.

It added that Congress had also approved a new Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Watch to strengthen monitoring of heat-trapping gases to inform implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Climate change impacts – including extreme weather events – are triggered by the warming of the planet which is fuelled by GHG emissions.

The Congress, the release revealed, also backed “a rafter of proposals to strengthen observations and data exchange and to increase support for climate adaptation and resilience”.

“The cryosphere and hydrology will be given greater prominence in future, given the increasing impacts of diminishing sea ice, melting glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost and snow on sea level rise, water-related hazards and water security, economies and ecosystems,” it added.

The WMO’s science and innovation policy was also updated to adapt to new research priorities and embrace the technological might of super-computing and Artificial Intelligence.

“Climate change is already affecting every region on earth, in multiple ways. Extreme and high-impact weather, water and climate extremes have devastating consequences for the safety of people, national economies, urban and rural environments, and food and water security. Extreme hydrometeorological hazards accounted for more than 90 per cent of the world’s disasters, which increased fivefold over the last 50 years,” said WMO Secretary General Prof Petteri Taalas, who ends his two four-year terms in office at the end of this year.

He will be succeeded by Prof Saulo, director of Argentina’s national meteorological service and WMO’s outgoing first vice president. She will take office as the first female secretary general of WMO on January 1, 2024.

“The challenges before us are immense,” she noted.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is an immediate challenge which demands urgent action. Only through our collective efforts can we forge a future which is safe and sustainable to all,” added the professor in a short speech after the ceremonial signing of her contract.

Meanwhile, the Strategic Plan 2024-2027 reaffirms WMO’s vision to see “a world where all nations, especially the most vulnerable, are more resilient to the socio-economic consequences of extreme weather, climate, water and other environmental events; and underpin their sustainable development through the best possible services, whether over land, at sea or in the air.”

Its priorities include enhancing preparedness and reducing loss of life, critical infrastructure and livelihood from hydrometeorological extremes; supporting climate-smart decision-making to build or enhance adaptive capacity or resilience to climate risk; and enhancing socio-economic value of weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services.