At the forefront of climate action: Saudi Arabia celebrates World Meteorological Day

Saudi Arabia on Saturday celebrated World Meteorological Day, which falls on March 23 every year and coincides with the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 1950.

This year’s theme is “At the Front Line of Climate Action,” which looks at the effects of climate change on our planet and action being taken to combat it, and stresses the importance of sustainable climate action to protect future generations.

The CEO of the National Center of Meteorology, Ayman Ghulam, said that the Kingdom joins the world in celebrating World Meteorological Day, highlighting efforts that reflect its interest in the issue of climate change and its repercussions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“Realizing the vitality of this file and sensing its importance, it established the Regional Center for Climate Change to consider appropriate solutions and opportunities that help confront weather phenomena,” he added.

Ghulam said that the center is proud to implement the initiatives announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Middle East Green Summit in October 2021.

These include operating the Regional Center for Dust and Sand Storms, the Regional Program for Cloud Seeding, and the Regional Center for Climate Change.

These form part of the Kingdom’s international efforts to preserve the environment and deal with climate affairs in order to enhance adaptation to climate change, reduce its effects, and achieve sustainability in accordance with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, Ghulam said.

The Kingdom is one of the founding countries of the World Meteorological Organization, and is undertaking significant work in the field of meteorology at local, regional and international levels, he said.

This is represented in its meteorological and climate missions, as well as its support for eight regional and international centers — the Jeddah Regional Communications Center, the Regional Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Center, the Jeddah Regional Climate Center, the Jeddah Global Center for Information Services, the Operational Information Center for Air Navigation Services, the Jeddah Center for Historical Information Rescue, the Center for Atmospheric and Hydrological Research, and the Center for Agricultural Meteorology Research.

The CEO said that the meteorological sector in the Kingdom has received clear support as part of the development process in the country, and that this is evident through the establishment of an independent meteorological entity in the Kingdom, the “National Meteorological Center.”

Through the slogan of this year’s celebration, the World Meteorological Organization aims to pay tribute to the services of national meteorological and hydrological facilities, he said, noting that this anniversary serves as a reminder of our changing climate.

“Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization,” the WMO said on the occasion. “The effects are already visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now.”