Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Finn elected new head of world weather body

-

Finnish weather chief Petteri Taalas was on Thursday elected as the new head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during its quadrennial congress in Geneva.

Taalas is the head of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and has a strong scientific background, with more than 50 publications on climate change and satellite methodologies.

He will replace the agency's veteran head, Frenchman Michel Jarraud, who is stepping down next year after three four-year terms.

"The importance of WMO and the national meteorological and hydrological services is growing due to a higher number of disasters hitting all parts of the world," Taalas said after his election.

"Proper early warning services are essential in protecting human life and property. Scientific know-how for climate adaptation and water resource management are also crucially needed in several WMO member countries," he added.

Other contenders aspiring to lead the 191-nation Geneva-based body were from Russia, South Africa and India.

Taalas, who speaks a string of languages, including English, German and French, has been on WMO's executive panel since 2008, and is also a member of the Finnish Science Academy.

His election comes ahead of a key conference in Paris at the end of the year, marking the first attempt to clinch a world-wide deal on global warming since the near-disastrous 2009 UN summit in Copenhagen.

The Paris accord, which would take effect from 2020, would aim at limiting global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

Finnish weather chief Petteri Taalas was on Thursday elected as the new head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during its quadrennial congress in Geneva.

Taalas is the head of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and has a strong scientific background, with more than 50 publications on climate change and satellite methodologies.

He will replace the agency’s veteran head, Frenchman Michel Jarraud, who is stepping down next year after three four-year terms.

“The importance of WMO and the national meteorological and hydrological services is growing due to a higher number of disasters hitting all parts of the world,” Taalas said after his election.

“Proper early warning services are essential in protecting human life and property. Scientific know-how for climate adaptation and water resource management are also crucially needed in several WMO member countries,” he added.

Other contenders aspiring to lead the 191-nation Geneva-based body were from Russia, South Africa and India.

Taalas, who speaks a string of languages, including English, German and French, has been on WMO’s executive panel since 2008, and is also a member of the Finnish Science Academy.

His election comes ahead of a key conference in Paris at the end of the year, marking the first attempt to clinch a world-wide deal on global warming since the near-disastrous 2009 UN summit in Copenhagen.

The Paris accord, which would take effect from 2020, would aim at limiting global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

Google consumed 56 times more electricity last year to keep its global operations running than ChatGPT uses annually to handle user prompts.

Entertainment

Emmy award-winning actors Eric Martsolf ("Days of Our Lives") and Eva LaRue ("The Young and The Restless" and "General Hospital") star in the short...

Tech & Science

Civil society organizations will call on major tech firms to bolster their AI policies to combat "sexist and misogynistic" disinformation.

Business

Dockworkers at the port of Montreal have ended a partial three-day strike as planned - Copyright AFP/File Sebastien ST-JEANDockworkers at the port in Montreal,...