World Meteorological Day 2024 serves as a timely reminder that, through early warnings, adaptation, and an unwavering commitment to climate action, a safer and more sustainable future can be assured for the Caribbean. – Caribbean Meteorological Organization
The Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) joins the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the global community in celebrating World Meteorological Day 2024, united under the timely theme, ‘At the frontline of climate action.”
As one of the regions in the world that is most vulnerable to natural hazards, the Caribbean is on the frontline of extreme weather and climate change impacts. Rising sea levels threaten our coastal communities and infrastructure, extreme weather and compounded hazards leave a trail of losses and damages, and severe droughts threaten food and water security—experiences that adversely affect our people, economies, and way of life.
However, the Caribbean spirit is one of resilience. The CMO, which remains firmly committed to safeguarding our region, is at the forefront of building resilience to climate variability and climate change: working tirelessly to improve early warning systems; ensuring the provision of the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts available; and supporting the development of adaptation strategies to improve regional sustainable development. Through strategic partnerships with capacity-building programmes such as the Climate Risk and Early Warnings Systems (CREWS) Initiative and Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), CMO Headquarters is empowering National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services across the Caribbean to deliver critical weather and climate information across multiple sectors and respond to the UN Secretary General’s call for Early Warnings for All by 2027.
Weathering the impacts of a changing environment requires collective action, a hallmark of the CMO, which has a long tradition of regional and global cooperation since its origins as the British Caribbean Meteorological Service in 1951. Therefore, the CMO urges governments, communities, businesses, and individuals across the region to join hands and invest in adaptation measures that will safeguard our future. This includes, but is not limited to, strengthening and protecting critical infrastructure such as weather observations and forecasting systems, radio frequency and internet-based communication systems, collaborative frameworks, and early warning dissemination platforms. Moreover, investing in the institutions and institutional frameworks mandated to deliver life-preserving weather, climate, and water services will strengthen our region’s resilience in the face of a changing environment; activities that CMO has supported through projects. The CMO will continue to provide scientific advice, guidance and capacity building to the Caribbean in this era when severe weather, climate variability, and climate change are among the major challenges facing the region for the foreseeable future.
World Meteorological Day 2024 serves as a timely reminder that, through early warnings, adaptation, and an unwavering commitment to climate action, a safer and more sustainable future can be assured for the Caribbean.
Please join the World Meteorological Day Ceremony, via a live webcast on Thursday, 21 March, 10:00 – 11:30 am (AST) at https://wmo.int/events/meeting/world-meteorological-day-2024-ceremony. (Caribbean Meteorological Organization Press Release)
Contact:
Dr Arlene Laing
Coordinating Director
CMO Headquarters Unit
cmohq@cmo.org.tt
About the CMO
The Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) is a specialised institution of the Caribbean Community that coordinates the joint scientific and technical activities in weather, climate and water –related sciences in sixteen English-speaking Caribbean countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands). The Organs of the CMO are: (i) The Caribbean Meteorological Council (CMC)-Governing Body of the CMO, (ii) The Headquarters Unit (Secretariat), headed by a Coordinating Director, located in Trinidad and Tobago; (iii) The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) located in Barbados; and (iv) The Caribbean Meteorological Foundation (CMF). The CMO originated from the British Caribbean Meteorological Service, founded in 1951.
