Press Briefing, 11:15 am, Wednesday 23 March
World Meteorological Day: Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future
What: Press briefing marking 2016 World Meteorological Day and the state of the climate – record heat and weather extremes
Who:
- Selwin Hart, Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team
- Paul Egerton, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Representative to the United Nations
- Filipe Lucio, Director, Global Framework for Climate Services, WMO
When: Wednesday 23 March, 11.15 am EDT
Where: S-237, UN Headquarters, New York or live through webtv.un.org
About World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day commemorates the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization. It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society.
The theme “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future” highlights the challenges of climate change and the path towards climate-resilient societies.
The increase in hot days, warm nights and heatwaves will affect public health. These risks can be reduced by heat-health early warning systems that provide timely alerts to decision-makers, health services and the general public.
Droughts must be addressed more proactively through integrated drought management, which embraces guidance on effective policies and land management strategies and shares best practices for coping with drought.
World Meteorological Day comes just one month before a special Signing Ceremony for the Paris Agreement on climate change that was reached last December at COP21. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited leaders and representatives from all countries to the special Signing Ceremony, which will be the first step toward ensuring that the Agreement enters into force as soon as possible.
Media contacts:
UN Department of Public Information
Daniel Shepard, T: +1(212) 963- 9495 | E: shepard@un.org
Sok-Min Seo, T: +1(212) 963-1841 | E: seo1@un.org