PRESS CONFERENCE BY Secretary-General of World meteorological Organization

 

In the week before the five-year review of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries 2001-2010, Michael Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said at a Headquarters press conference today, that every dollar invested by Least Developed Countries in national meteorological and hydrological services would produce a tenfold return.  He also advised caution at a finding of any link between climate change and the frequency of tropical storms.

The parameters of weather and water were insufficiently accounted for in development planning, Mr. Jarraud said.  Least developed countries were the worst affected by weather, climate and water-related disasters, which had resulted in a vicious circle in which development efforts were annihilated.

He added that the spirit of the WMO’s contribution to the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries was to stress that money spent on national meteorological and hydrological services should be seen as investments in development.  While there were many priorities, such as education, health and infrastructure, a failure to spend money on national meteorological and hydrological services had resulted in more expenditures on post-disaster relief.

Asked whether WMO was working on disaster mitigation as well as adaptation, Mr. Jarraud pointed out that a considerable amount of research in this area had been performed under WMO auspices.  He pointed particularly to WMO-sponsored work on how anthropogenic changes to the environment affected meteorological conditions. 

In response to a question about recently completed research on the link between climate change and disaster frequency, Mr. Jarraud said there was a “quasi-certainty” of more floods, drought and water stress when climate warming occurred.  He acknowledged that ocean temperature could play a role in tropical storm formation, but he also said they were not the only factors, because complex interactions in the ocean required more research.  While there were some clues, he said scientists tended to be cautious people. 

Replying to other questions, Mr. Jarraud said that he could not predict the next big meteorologically-related disaster that would occur.  The honest answer, he said, was that, while short-term predictions can be made with some accuracy, regional factors and the particulars of the phenomena related to the disaster made longer-term predictions difficult.  Providing the best possible warnings required more investment.

Asked whether an office for a scientific adviser should be established within the Office of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jarraud said that he would leave the answer to that question to the Secretary-General.  But, he said he was quite satisfied with the level of interaction between scientific organizations like WMO and the United Nations.

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For information media • not an official record