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Press Release No. 844

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WORLD’S WEATHER BROADCASTERS TO ADDRESS PUBLIC

NEED FOR CLIMATE OUTLOOKS

Geneva, 12 May 2009 (WMO) – The public increasingly needs information beyond existing weather bulletins to plan ahead and make decisions in light of climate change. To address that concern, weather presenters from all regions will meet at the World Climate Broadcasts Forum to be held at World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 31 August to 4 September 2009.

The World Climate Broadcasts Forum on 2 September 2009 is being convened by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) at the initiative of professional weather presenters associations who see a pressing societal need for broadcast meteorology to embrace climate outlooks. “WCC-3 will bring together those who develop and provide climate information and predictions and those who use this information to improve climate services for society,” says WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “Weather presenters are the critical link between the providers and users of climate information that can prevent natural hazards from becoming disasters and inform socio-economic development.”

The Conference will be a launching point to bring climate science to society in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. “I welcome this initiative, because we need to raise awareness about how climate change will affect people’s lives,” says Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for the Environment. “Both the public and long-term decision-makers must learn to climate-proof their future activities, to guard against extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods."

 “With global and regional climates rapidly changing, and the increased risk of weather reaching climate extremes, the need is becoming greater for people to be informed about climate conditions in addition to day-to-day weather,” says Claire Martin, Chair of the International Association of Broadcast Meteorology (IABM). “The international weather broadcasting community is coming together to address this need, by making climate information, including seasonal and long-range forecasts, a more routine part of their services”

Organized by WMO, the event will bring together weather presenters from both developed and developing countries. It will be the first ever such meeting to involve the many weather broadcasting professional associations, including IABM, the Forum International de la Météo (FIM), the Climate Broadcasters Network-Europe (CBN-E) and the American Meteorological Society. CBN-E will hold its annual meeting from 31 August to 3 September on the occasion of the World Climate Broadcasts Forum and WCC-3.

“As TV meteorologists, we have access to all available information, the knowledge, and the practical tools needed to reach the public with the message that climate change is a common responsibility,” says Tomas Molina, President of CBN-E, which was established by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment in 2007.

At the World Climate Broadcasts Forum, weather presenters will discuss best practices in order to develop recommendations for ways to provide climate outlooks to the public at large. The participating broadcasters will interact with policy- and decision-makers, scientists and experts and fellow journalists. Key opportunities for such interactions will be the WCC-3 round table on communicating climate information and a Media 21 journalists workshop. This workshop will include print and broadcast journalists from five continents, including representation from developing countries especially impacted by climate change.

“Weather presenters worldwide need to be a strong voice to policy-makers and the public on the essential role climate information plays in proactive planning and management,” says Jean Jouzel, President of Societé Météorologique de France.

“Integrating climate information into weather forecasts will bring a new level of understanding to the public and enable them to take actions to adapt to climate change in their own communities,” says Keith Seitter, Executive Director of the American Meteorology Society.

WCC-3 (http://www.wmo.int/wcc3) aims to initiate a global framework for climate services that will increase and enhance interactions between those who develop climate information and those who use it. As both information users and providers, the media are a critical participant in this international endeavour.

WMO is the United Nations' authoritative voice on weather, climate and water

For more information please contact:

At IABM:

Mr Gerald Fleming, E-mail: gfleming@eircom.net

Mr John Teather, E-mail: secretary@iabm.org

At CBN-E:

Ms Katarzyna Wolos, CBN-E co-ordinator; DG Environment of the European Commission, E-mail katarzyna.wolos@ec.europa.eu; Website: http://www.cbn-e.eu

At FIM:

Morgane Daudier, Tel : +33 1 45 56 73 64 E-mail: morgane.daudier@meteo.fr

Christian Vannier, Tel : +33 1 45 56 57 52, E-mail : christian.vannier@meteo.fr

At WMO:

Ms Carine Richard-Van Maele, Chief, Communications and Public Affairs, Tel: +41 (0) 22 730 8315, Fax: +41 (0) 22 730 8027, E-mail:  cpa@wmo.int

Ms Lisa Munoz, Press Officer, Communications and Public Affairs, Tel. +41 (0) 22 730 8213, E-mail: lmunoz@wmo.int

Website: http://www.wmo.int

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