ADDIS ABABA – Concerns for impacts of climate variability and climate change have reached high levels at national and international levels, Ministry of Water Irrigation and Energy said.
Speaking at the opening session of the two –day long and 52 nd Great Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF-52)) yesterday, Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water Irrigation and Energy, further said Impacts of climate variability have strong implications on seasonal forecast. “We are observing an increasing trend in frequency, intensity and severity of droughts and causing loss of lives and property in the Greater Horn of Africa.”
Adding he said that the sectors affected by the climate variability include agriculture and food security, water resources, disaster management, energy, tourism and health. In particular, as June to September is the main rainy season for the northern sector of ICPAC region of responsibility, getting a prior knowledge of the seasonal climate would be a pre-requisite step for the policy makers, planners and disaster risk managers in order to design short and medium term social and economic strategies.
Fetene Teshome, Director General of National Meteorological Agency (NMA) for his part said, weather and climate are some of the major risk factors impacting our globe. Extreme weather and climate events such as severe droughts, floods or
temperature extremes often strongly impede sustainable development, particularly in the tropics and sub tropics.
“Through its more than half century journey, NMA has witnessed that Government of Ethiopia on its parts has realized the value of climate information in combating impacts of recurrent droughts and to tackle strategically the effect of climate variability and change. NMA is continued to provide all technical supports as well as services for the public in general and government policy makers in particular.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Guleid Artan, Director of ICPAC for his part said climate related hazards are becoming more intense and frequent due climate change. “Our region in the past few years has seen several extreme climate induced disasters. The just concluding raining season in the equatorial sector of the region the March to May (MAM) 2019 seasonal rainfall has been delayed over eastern sector of the region.”
The core concept of the GHACOF is to deliver consensus based, user-relevant climate outlook products in real time through regional cooperation and partnership, he noted.
Wishing fruitful deliberation and a pleasant stay in Addis ,Dr. Seleshi invited the delegates to participate in seedlings plantation introduced by PM Abiy Ahmed.
The forum has been organized by IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) and National Meteorological Agency (NMA), it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald May 28 2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
