Every March 23, World Meteorology Day is celebrated on our planet. This date commemorates the entry into force of the international treaty that regulates meteorological services around the world. On the occasion of this year 2023, the anniversary is something special because it is also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Each year, a relevant theme is chosen to serve as a framework for the celebrations and also highlight its importance in the lives of the inhabitants of our entire planet. In the case of 2023, the chosen theme is “The future of time, climate and water through generations”.
It is that since 1873, that is 150 years ago, the International Meteorological Organization, predecessor of the World Meteorological Organization, which is currently a specialized agency of the United Nations system, was founded this year, at a time when pollution from industry and human activities were still in their infancy.
The theme chosen for this 2023 is intended to highlight past technological advances, current advances and the future, from telegraphs and shipping forecasts of the late 19th century to supercomputers and space technology, in addition to the currently existing artificial intelligence. All these advances were very important for meteorological forecasts and above all. in early warnings that save lives in the event of dangerous weather phenomena such as hurricanes, heavy rain, etc.
These extreme meteorological phenomena, be it hurricanes, thunderstorms, forest fires or heavy rainfall, have increased significantly in the last few decades.
In fact, the global average temperature is more than 1° Celsius higher today than it was 150 years ago. Our weather is more extreme, our ocean is warmer and more acidic, sea levels have risen, and glaciers and ice are melting. The speed of change is accelerating.
In our changing climate, heat waves have become more frequent and intense.
This means urgent action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure future generations can survive and thrive on our planet.
Science and technology have made important advances in weather and climate forecasting systems and in preventing dangerous phenomena. Image: Meteorite
But it’s not all bad, the scientific and technological advances that have been made in recent years have greatly improved the accuracy of weather forecasts and early warnings that save lives. Massive amounts of data are being shared freely between a wider community than ever before, and new tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are emerging. This is no longer the time when the slow telegraph made it possible to transmit some meteorological observations.
There has also been significant progress in efforts to monitor, simulate and secure prospects of future climate, no doubt supporting important decisions.
The main reason for celebrating World Meteorological Day is to raise awareness among the people and the various governments of the world of the great role that the care and preservation of the climate and environment that surrounds us plays in order to sustain life on the planet to get earth.
Extreme weather events have become more frequent and more violent: hurricanes, heavy rainfall, droughts, forest fires, etc.
In addition, work is being done to find a way to mitigate the effects of climate change in recent years and prevent it from becoming irreversible climate change, with very serious consequences for our planet and for those of us who live on it. A clear red flag is that the past 8 years have been the warmest in about 200 years of historical temperature records.
Undoubtedly, the weather, climate and water cycle will be different in the future than in the past. Meteorological, climatic and hydrological services will help humanity to address the various climate challenges and seize the opportunities to create a better world.