' World Meteorological Day 2024: March 24th.

FORUM: ''At the frontline of climate action.'' World Meteorological Day 2024. Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization. The effects are already visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now. The Sustainable Development Goal 13 commits us to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.” Progress in this goal underpins progress in all the other Sustainable Development Goals. The work of the WMO community is indispensable to climate action and to the Sustainable Development Goals across the board. The work is of huge societal importance: reducing hunger and poverty; improving health and well-being; ensuring clean water and affordable and clean energy; protecting life below the water and life on land; and making our cities and communities more resilient to climate change. Weather and climate predictions help boost food production and move closer to zero hunger. Integrating epidemiology and climate information helps understand and manage diseases sensitive to climate. And early-warning systems help to reduce poverty by giving people the chance to prepare and limit the impact of extreme weather. The WMO, its Members, and its partners drive the full value cycle, from science to services to action for the good of society. It advances knowledge of our Earth system, monitors the state of the climate and water resources, provides scientific information to inform greenhouse gas emissions reductions and delivers climate services and early warnings to support climate adaptation. Science is central to solutions and can supercharge progress on the SDGs across the board. We are united in science. The WMO will remain at the Frontline of Climate Action as we embrace a journey of cooperation and innovation, leveraging collective expertise to overcome challenges and achieve our shared vision of a safer, more resilient world for future generations. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #WorldMetDay, #ClimateAction, #23March, #Meteorology, #Climatology, #Hydrology, #weather.

STATEMENTS

Statement from the United Nations Secretary-General on World Meteorological Day 2023; March 23rd.

Statement from the WMO Secretary-General, on the occasion of the World Meteorological Day 2024; March 23rd.

EVENTS: On March 23rd from 16:00 to 16:50 P.M. (GMT); The World Meteorological Day 2024 High-level panel discussion will take place at the WMO HQ. Participants will debate on the theme “At the Frontline of Climate Action.” Join us for the celebration to spotlight climate action. The ceremony embraces all the key players involved in tackling the climate crisis: the UN family. National meteorological and hydrological services, youth and civil society, policymakers and the private sector. The panelists will present the Panel Discussion I - How the weather has changed – through a TV forecaster’s eyes; The Panel Discussion II - Zebraside Conversation: Storytelling and Science.; The Panel Discussion III - How to keep the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement alive? - The Panel Discussion IV - Saving lives, at the forefront of climate action, Perspectives from WMO and meteorological services; Followed by a Q&A with the audience in the room. 

AGENDA PROGRAMME

15:00-15:25 - Welcome and introduction – by WMO Secretary-General Prof. Celeste Saulo and WMO President Abdulla Al Mandous and Agi Veres, Director, Geneva office, United Nations Development Programme, and launch of the UNDP climate action campaign.

15:25-15:30 - How the weather has changed – Philippe Jeanneret, Swiss television weather presenter

15:30-15:45 - Zebraside Conversation - Storytelling and Science. Boaz Paldi, UNDP Chief Creative Officer and Lauren Stuart, WMO Scientific Officer

15:45-16:25 - High-level panel discussion on "How to keep the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement alive?" (see below)

Panelists: Marie-Claire Graf, Future Leaders Network (Moderator)
Prof. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO
Agi Veres, Director, Geneva office, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Barbados
Rosa Sangiorgio, Head of ESG, Pictet Wealth Management

16:25-16:35 -  Q&A with the audience in the room

16:35-16:40 - Saving lives, at the forefront of climate action, Perspectives from WMO and meteorological services

16:40-16:50 - Concluding remarks

Watch the webcast! and Get the dates of the WMO Upcoming conferences, seminars and workshops!

UNDP’s newest climate action campaign

We can’t tell you what it is yet but we assure you the storyline will drive you to take action.  Join us to celebrate the 2024 World Meteorological Day as we launch UNDP’s newest climate action campaign!

Tune in on March 21, 2024 at 10:00 EDT - 14:00 UTC - 15:00 CET for a live broadcast launch from Geneva, Switzerland to find out!

OTHERS EVENTS

Programme

15:00 - 15:25: Introduction by WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo and Agi Veres, Director, Geneva Office, UNDP and launch of UNDP’s new climate action campaign

15:25 - 15:30: How the weather has changed – through a TV forecaster’s eyes: Philippe Jeanneret, Swiss television weather presenter

15:30 - 15:45: Zebraside Conversation: Storytelling and Science. Boaz Paldi, UNDP Chief Creative Officer and Lauren Stuart, WMO Scientific Officer

15:45 - 16:25: High-level panel discussion to discuss how to keep the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement alive? (see below)

16:25 - 16:35: Q&A with the audience in the room

16: 35 - 16:40: Saving lives, at the forefront of climate action, Perspectives from WMO and meteorological services

16:40 - 16:50: Concluding remarks

How to keep the 1.5° goal alive?

The WMO State of Global Climate report reminds everyone of the urgency to tackle the climate crisis. Everywhere in the world, people are already suffering from the negative impact of climate change. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, ocean heat and acidification, ice and glacier retreat affects human health, economies and ecosystems. Science shows that negative impacts are increasing and some changes risk being irreversible. Climate action is essential to sustainable development, including good health, access to water and sanitation and freedom from poverty and hunger. There is no avenue for human development without prioritizing climate action. The Paris Agreement on climate change laid the ground to design robust climate action through the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the ratcheting mechanism that obliges governments to review and enhance their goals every five years.

Everyone agrees on the need to abide by the lower 1.5° target of the Paris ambitions. 

1. Can we still reach it and under which conditions?
2.  How is it that despite scientific evidences and a wealth of climate data, public policies are not going faster and wider?
3.  What is expected from the different actors – including the public, corporate and financial sector? 
4. How do young people have a say in increasing climate ambition and contribute to moving the needle?

Moderator: Marie-Claire Graf, Future Leaders Network
Speakers

• Prof. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO
• Agi Veres, Director, Geneva Office, UNDP
• H.E. Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative and Ambassador, Barbados
• Rosa Sangiorgio, Head of Sustainability, Pictet Wealth Management

Read here the speakers' bios.