Members have been asked to submit nominations for the Intergovernmental Board on Climate Services (find the letters here). The Board will hold its first meeting in the first week of July 2013 in Geneva. The main focus of the meeting  will be on defining the substructures and the way forward for the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services. Discussion will also revolve around the way Partner Agencies will be supporting GFCS through their governing bodies.

 

 

 

Seminar on Climate Services in Norway

Progress in rolling out climate services to help the most vulnerable cope with our changing climate and improve water, agriculture, disaster and health management is the focus of a one day seminar in Norway.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, NORAD and Cicero Center for International Climate and Environmental Research are organizing the event 12 February ”Let’s talk about the weather – and start preparing for changes.”

This seminar is an important occasion to take stock of the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) to improve and expand climate services essential to cope with weather, climate and water-related hazards several of which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. 
>> full text

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO are holding a 3-day workshop (26-28 February 2013, Offenbach, Germany) to consider the needs for observations for adaptation to climate variability and change. The workshop will consider observing system needs in a number of sectors, including agriculture and forestry, water resources management, health, coastal zone management, and energy production and transport.  The workshop will also consider institutional perspectives, risk management, research and modeling, and special topics, such as data rescue needs.
 

Drought is widely recognized as a slow creeping natural hazard that occurs as a consequence of the natural climatic variability. In recent years, concern has grown world-wide that droughts may be increasing in frequency and severity given the changing climatic conditions. Responses to droughts in most parts of the world are generally reactive in terms of crisis management and are known to be untimely, poorly coordinated and disintegrated. Consequently, the economic, social and environmental impacts of droughts have increased significantly worldwide. Because of their long-term socio-economic impacts, droughts are by far the most damaging of all natural disasters.
>> find out more