UN Special N° 643 Septembre · September 2005

The weather tomorrow will be mostly sunny with few thunderstorms. To predict the weather worldwide is only one of the many functions of the World Meteorological Organization.
I had the opportunity to have a learning experience in this Organization for a week, as an intern from the International School of Geneva. The idea was for the students to experience living in a working environment. I chose this particular field, as I am interested in environmental issues and geography and these were linked to the WMO functions.
A big blue ship made of glass, steel and aluminium, that looks as though it is anchored somewhere in the Lac Leman, peacefully floating in between Switzerland’s green trees from the Botanical Gardens and the grey, industrial Sécheron zone. This was my first impression of the WMO. What hit me immediately was the majestic structure of the building, with all its glass windows and panoramic views of the centre of Geneva. It could not have been best thought for a meteorological organization, as it seemed to represent the link between human activities and our environment. The structure is situated in the midst of the four natural elements: the air, as the clouds can be seen on every side of the building, the water of our Lac Leman, the earth on which it is situated and fire as the sun glints through the glass facades of the building.
After having been given some brochures about the WMO and wandering around the building I learned more about this organization. The World Meteorological Organization was set up 55 years ago, on 23 March 1950. It started from the International Meteorological Organization that was founded in 1873. The WMO is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 187 Member States and Territories. It operates in the fields of weather, climate, water and related sciences. The main goal of the WMO is to make it easier for communities and nations to achieve safety and to contribute to the preservation of the Earth.
In 1951 the WMO became a specialized agency of the United Nations. WMO plays an important role in the prevention of natural disasters, as these are nearly 90 per cent weather-, climate- or water- related. WMO provides information for warnings that save humans and property from destruction. The WMO also trains weather professionals and coordinates the activities of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services worldwide. It coordinates weather centres all over the world and in particular the five regions of the world where major tropical cyclones occur, through its Tropical Cyclone program, so people are more aware and better prepared in case of these hazards.
The WMO also deals with water pollution. A lot of the Earth’s water is already polluted and unusable, so WMO monitors the world’s water and rain producing clouds. In this way it can also forecast floods and help to save lives. It studies how much water is available and how clean it is, decisions can be made on how to use the water responsibly.
The WMO examines the problem of desertification that is rapidly spreading in areas of the world. It collects, studies and exchanges information linked to desertification and drought. It also investigates the causes and effects of climate change and drought so it can be able to provide early warnings triggering immediate action to reduce its effects on land and population.
Another WMO task is to study natural events such as El Niño (a disruptive force that can cause storms, tempests, occurring every few years when the temperature of the Pacific waters increases) or La Niña (unusually cold ocean temperatures in the eastern Equatorial Pacific). The WMO closely observes what happens to the ocean temperature in the Pacific providing warning to millions through National Weather services exchanging information through as the WMO World Weather Watch (WWW) system (the weather forecasts we see daily in the media are prepared using information collected, processed and distributed through the WWW). WWW produces meteorological observations over land, on sea and from space, prepares weather forecasts and warnings, exchanges information globally and in real time.
With better understanding of El Niño, farmers can sow and harvest according to how the phenomenon is predicted to behave during the season.
WMO is also concerned about global warming. It studies the climate change phenomenon and works in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that aims to stop and reverse the changes made by human activities to our planet’s climate. In cooperation with UNEP, WMO played a leading role in setting up the 1985 Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.
The WMO not only deals with water pollution but with air pollution too. It provides information on ways to limit air pollution and its effects on life and on the planet, so that arrangements set up by a number of organizations (such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe- UNECE) can have a scientific basis. It also supports international and regional conventions such as the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (set up by UNECE).
The WMO is currently working jointly with other organizations to improve alert systems for tsunamis, to prevent a natural disaster like that of 26 December 2004.
After experiencing working in the WMO I learned the importance of this organization in the development of meteorology and operational hydrology. By using the most sophisticated means of prevention and studying the most advanced techniques for the conservation of our environment, WMO is an extremely important organization. Without it, the world would be deprived of the benefits received from the study and prevention of natural disasters and the daily knowledge of the weather and climate in our planet. I am enthusiastically happy to have worked, even if only for one week, with people who work to preserve our environment!