#Kingston, March 24, 2019 – Jamaica – Jamaicans are being encouraged to engage in climate smart activities for World Meteorological Day, to be observed on March 23.
“We encourage persons to conserve on
energy. If you don’t have to do any unnecessary driving on World Meteorological
Day, don’t do so. You can also plant a tree or two, so that when they grow, we will have another set of trees that will
remove some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and put some oxygen in
it,” Head of the Applied Meteorology Section in the Meteorological Service
Division, Ronald Moody, told JIS News.
The World Meteorological Organization
has designated this year’s theme as ‘The Sun, the Earth and the Weather’, with a focus on the range of
effects from the interconnectedness of the three elements.
Mr.
Moody said that meteorological research has shown an increase in mean global
surface temperature by approximately one degree Celsius since the mid-20th
century. Scientists project that if the trend continues, we could experience
temperature increases anywhere between three and five degrees Celsius by the
end of the 21st century.
“Even for Jamaica, there has been an
increase in temperatures. When we look at the State of the Climate Report that
was done in 2015 by the Climate Studies group, it shows that minimum
temperature across Jamaica has increased by 0.26 degree Celsius, while maximum
temperature has increased by about 0.06 degree Celsius per decade. What that is
suggesting for us is that the nights are getting warmer in Jamaica,” Mr. Moody
said.
While acknowledging that temperatures
are rising, studies of the sun over the last 30 years have determined that its
energy output has not increased. There is another contributor to global
increase in temperatures.
“Scientists have attributed this to an
increase in greenhouse gases (GHG) and the main GHG that is responsible is
carbon dioxide. This increase has been as a result of human activities over the
decades. There is also the situation of the use of fossil fuels, and their
byproduct is carbon dioxide. We have seen deforestation taking place across the
world, and trees were the main source of removing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere,” he noted.
Mr. Moody underscored the Division’s
commitment to providing the country with timely weather forecasts and climate
products, so that the information is readily and easily accessible.
The Metrological Service has been
working with a number of agencies to further this commitment, including the
Climate Studies Group, Mona; the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, Office of
Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Planning
Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).
“We are trying to be proactive in
providing information and products that can play a role in our clients’ decision-making.
We have, in recent times, narrowed weather forecasting to the community level
through an app, so persons can access information for their communities. There
is also the Smart Alert app where you can find all the severe-weather-warning
messages issued by the Met Service,” Mr. Moody said.
The apps can be accessed by visiting agrilinksja.com and alert.metservice.gov.jm.
Contact:
Charnele Henry
Release:
JIS
Photo: Head of the Applied Meteorology Section in the Meteorological Service Division, Ronald Moody, speaks with JIS News.
Photographer: Charnele Henry