Every March 23rd is celebrated World Meteorology Day. This has been done since 1997 to commemorate the implementation of the agreement establishing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Undoubtedly, World Meteorological Day is a relevant date. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of meteorology and hydrology for the necessary balance between nature and social activities.
It is well known that in recent decades climate change has caused meteorological phenomena (electric storms, droughts, forest fires, hurricanes, floods…) to become more frequent and more extreme. Consequently, mankind is more exposed to the occurrence of disasters.
Taken from the internet. On a global scale, climate change has increased the harmful effects of weather events.
Likewise, the unequal and irrational development of hyperconsumption societies at the expense of nature has led to the disappearance of species, ecosystems and even human deaths.
An article published by the WMO explains that the Covid19 pandemic “has highlighted the need for a truly crossrisk and crossborder approach in our interconnected world to achieve the global goals of mitigation, disaster risk reduction and climate change promote sustainable development.
Meanwhile, experts point out that population growth, environmental degradation and uncontrolled urbanization are complicating factors. It is therefore important that governments develop appropriate early warning systems.
The WMO focuses the annual celebration on a topic of interest to humanity. This time it pays close attention to the theme of “Early Warning and Early Action” to highlight the importance of hydrometeorological information ─and related topics─ in disaster preparedness, protecting community livelihoods and people’s lives, as published by the WMO on its website .
The Greater Antilles joined the organization on March 4, 1952. Currently, the Cuban state has policies, regulations and daily practices that combine scientific research in the field of meteorology and related sciences with the work of civil defense and disaster preparedness.
What is the WMO?
The WMO was founded on March 23, 1950. A year later it became the United Nations specialized agency for meteorology, industrial hydrology and related geophysical sciences. The Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the governing body is the World Meteorological Congress.
According to information available on the Internet, the WMO consists of “193 member states and territories”. Although its origins date back to 1873 when the International Meteorological Congress was held in Vienna, Austria its immediate predecessor was the International Meteorological Organization (IMO).