The meeting discussed the phenomenon of climate change which has become a significant problem and challenge facing the world and the international community and that could impact sustainable development especially with the increase of dangers due to climate change. Some of the GCC countries have experienced climatic disasters which are believed to be a result of climate change phenomena, some of which were very sudden and had not been witnessed for decades. Such phenomena included severe thunderstorms and cyclones which caused heavy rainfall in a short timeframe and which resulted in flooding, as well as severe sandstorms and heat waves. All of these climate phenomena caused the loss of lives and/or destruction of property and had severe consequences on developing sectors in the GCC countries.
“Although it is not possible to stop extreme weather conditions, it is possible to reduce the danger of these conditions by ensuring that meteorological facilities issue advanced warnings of extreme weather conditions to enable the relevant authorities to respond accordingly. In order to achieve this, increased cooperation is required as well as using the latest technologies for monitoring and accurate forecasting and the establishment of a warming centre that would serve to provide early warnings and assisting decision makers,” Acting Undersecretary for Civil Aviation Affairs, Ahmed Nemat Ali, said.
“By holding this meeting of the GCC Standing Committee on Meteorology and Climate Change, we are coming together with our counterparts to assess the developments to ensure that the Meteorological entities can more actively contribute towards the social and economic developments of the GCC countries as well as following up with recent developments and latest scientific advancements within the field.”
It is worth noting that the Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the leading countries in the field of Meteorology with a long and well established history that dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The Meteorological directorate is well equipped with the latest technologies and trained personnel, and serves as a model in the region for meteorological advancement. Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) established their West Asia Regional Office in Bahrain.
The Committee was chaired by Acting Director of Meteorology Adel Deham and was attended by delegations from all the GCC member countries, with a total of approximately 20 participants.