The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) awarded Jagadish Shukla, President of the Institute of Global of Environment and Society and Professor of Earth Sciences and Global Change, and Chairman of Climate Dynamics at George Mason University, the 52nd International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize.
The Swiss Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Office has compiled the first inventory of the country’s long-term climate data.
Discussing the need to protect against the damaging effects of climate change, Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the World Meterological Organization (WMO), emphasized the importance of “African National Meteorological and Hydrological Services … as actors of development… particularly with regard to evaluating and monitoring the environment, preparing for natural hazards, and… climate change.”
Speaking at the Conference of the African Ministers of Trade and Finance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held from 1-3 April 2008, he noted African countries’ particular susceptibility to extreme weather events and encouraged investment in observational networks to facilitate early warnings of natural disasters and climate predictions.
2 April 2008: Many speakers addressed links between climate change and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during the UN General Assembly’s two-day thematic debate entitled “Recognizing the achievements, addressing the challenges and getting back on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.” In her opening remarks to the 1-2 April 2008 thematic debate, Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary-General, highlighted many speakers’ concern that climate change could thwart achievement of the MDGs.
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Vice-President Kanayo Nwanze told participants at the first annual meeting of the African Union/United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, that “A concerted, coordinated and collective effort is the most effective way to tackle the triple scourge of poverty, climate change and high food prices and to guarantee a sustainable future for women, marginalized groups and smallholder farmers in Africa.”
The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will be organizing an International Symposia on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Climate Change, to take place in Kyoto, Japan, from 15-16 April, and in London, UK, from 17-18 June.
In his 1 April 2008 address to the UN General Assembly’s thematic debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that “development progress is gravely threatened by the effects of climate change and other major environmental challenges.” He highlighted that changes in our natural environment “can have adverse impacts on economic and social development,” and emphasized developing countries’ need for “additional assistance and resources to support their adaptation efforts,” given their limited technological and financial resources.
