World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

The World Meteorological Organization, established in 1950 with a current membership of 189 member States and Territories, is United Nations authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

The World Meteorological Organization, established in 1950 with a current membership of 189 member States and Territories, is United Nations authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources. The vision of WMO is to provide world leadership in expertise and international cooperation in weather, climate, hydrology and water resources and related environmental issues and thereby contribute to the safety and well-being of people throughout the world and to the economic benefit of all nations.

In accomplishing its work programme, WMO contributes substantially to the protection of life and property against natural disasters, to safeguarding the environment and to enhancing the economic and social well-being of all sectors of society in areas such as food security, water resources and transport. It promotes cooperation in the establishment of networks for making meteorological, climatological, hydrological and geophysical observations, as well as the exchange, processing and standardization of related data, and assists technology transfer, training and research. In promoting this cooperation, WMO facilitates the free and unrestricted exchange of data and information, products and services in real- or near-real time on matters relating to safety and security of society, economic welfare and the protection of the environment, and in so doing, it contributes to policy formulation in these areas at national and international levels.

Playing a leading role in international efforts to monitor and protect the environment and in collaboration with other United Nations agencies and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO supports the implementation of a number of environmental conventions and is instrumental in providing advice and assessments to governments on related matters.

Energy at WMO

WMO programmes address relevant chapters in Agenda 21 and act within the scope of the implementation of the decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 1988 the WMO established, with UNEP, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and continues to provide its support. Different forms of energy production, including hydropower, biomass energy, solar and wind energy, draw on resources which are significantly dependent on climate conditions. One thrust in WMO programmes is the provision of guidance material and capacity-building for the needs and requirements of energy sector services. WMO promotes the use of weather, climate and water information for management of risk and development of sound adaptation strategies throughout the various elements of the energy sector.

Services provided by WMO include:

• Provision of guidance material and implementation of training seminars, and demonstration projects focusing on use of climate information in development of new and renewable sources of energy such as biomass, hydropower, solar and wind energy, for management of climate-related risks and for development of sound adaptation strategies;
• Support to development of energy-related assessments within the frame work of the UNEP/WMO Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Development of climate indices relevant to the energy sector, with which to consistently characterize the climate sensitivity of energy subsectors
• Promotion of participation of the users in the energy sector in Climate Outlook Forums at regional and national scales.