World Meteorological Organization

Key points of State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2022 report: 

 

• The sea level rise threatens low-lying islands such as Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands, which could face devastating floods over time, leading to the destruction of agricultural lands and habitable areas.
• The report also highlighted the occurrence of marine heatwaves in a large area northeast of Australia and south of Papua New Guinea over a period of more than six months.
• These heatwaves have had a significant impact on marine life and the livelihoods of local communities.
• Despite a decrease in the number of reported disaster weather events compared to 2021, the economic losses due to flooding and weather events have increased.

 

About World Meteorological Organization

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
• It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behavior of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. 
• Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the UN for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
• Headquarters:  Geneva, Switzerland.
• Currently it has a membership of 191 countries.
• Governance Structure:
  • Its supreme body is the World Meteorological Congress, which consists of representatives of all members. It meets at least every four years to set general policy and adopt regulations.
  • A 36-member Executive Council meets annually and implements policy.
  • The Secretariat, headed by a secretary-generalappointed by the congress for a four-year term, serves as the administrative centre of the organization.

 

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Q1) What is heatwave?

A heatwave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, often accompanied by high levels of humidity. Heatwaves can have significant impacts on human health, ecosystems, agriculture, and various industries.

Source: Pacific islands face risk of drowning as sea levels rising faster than expected