Countries urged to share vital weather, water and climate data
Published:Saturday | February 11, 2023 | 12:25 AM
Assistant Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Dr. Wenjian Zhang, has called for greater collaboration and sharing of data between countries on weather, water and climate as part of finding solutions to the challenges presented.He was addressing the opening ceremony of the Regional Conference of the WMO’s Regional Association IV on February 6, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
Emphasising the importance of information sharing, Dr. Zhang noted that it is often said that “you cannot manage anything you cannot measure, but for me, it is not only about measuring. After measuring, you need to share the data with us”.
Referencing the achievements of one of the WMO’s earlier programmes – World Weather Watch – Dr. Zhang attributed its success to the fact that “in the United Nations, all the countries had a strong, critical view to collaborate and working together”.
World Weather Watch facilitates the development, operation and enhancement of worldwide systems for observing and exchanging meteorological and related observations.
“The same can be true for Early Warning for All. This is an opportunity; it is a United Nations Early Warning for All, but the WMO has a key role to play in this implementation,” he said.
Dr. Zhang noted the limited information on global water supply from before the joint publication of the WMO and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 1997 brochure, Clean Water – Is there Enough?
Though countries have taken steps to measure water supply, the available data remain insufficient.
“WMO is a science and technical organisation. If we have this information, we can provide the scientific solution and also fully share the information if we have an outcome,” Dr. Zhang pointed out.
The WMO’s Regional Association IV Conference is held under the theme ‘Increasing Weather, Water and Climate Resilience in North America, Central America and the Caribbean’.
The four-day conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston brings together representatives of 20 member countries from the region.