ENERGY-METEOROLOGY: A new discipline

Abstract

“ENERGY” continues to be a priority area in several WMO programmes and activities. The relationships between the many aspects of energy in a societal context and climate/weather are becoming increasingly evident. Energy is one of the driving forces in socio-economic development. Many forms of energy are using climate as a resource, especially new and renewable forms of energy, such as solar and wind energy. Production and use of energy has a complex impact on the environment, including an impact on climate and the need for energy is normally directly related to climate and weather. Formally this is reflected in such documents as the WMO Long-term Plan where the following objectives of the World Climate Programme have been formulated: 1. (i) To facilitate the effective collection and management of climate data and the monitoring of the global climate system, including the detection and assessment of climate variability and changes; 2. (ii) To foster the effective application of climate knowledge and information for the benefit of society and the provision of climate services, including the prediction of significant climate variations both natural and as a result of human activity; 3. (iii) To assess the impacts of climate variability and changes that could markedly affect economic or social activities and advise governments thereon, and contribute to the development of a range of socio-economic response strategies that could be used by governments and the community; 4. (iv) To improve the understanding of climate processes for determining the predictability of climate, including its variability and change, identifying the extent of human influence on climate and developing the capability for climate prediction. The Main Long-term Objectives of the World Climate Applications and Services Programme are: 1. (i) To help Members in developing services based on the application of climate information and knowledge for national sustainable development with emphasis on methods of adaptation to, and mitigation of, adverse impacts of climate and its variations; 2. (ii) To promote awareness of the potential benefits of the applications of climatic information and knowledge in human endeavour and the provision of climate services; 3. (iii)To provide easy access to practical techniques for applications of climate information and knowledge: WMO activities in the energy area during the decade 1992–2001 will include: 1. (i) the further evaluation of weather and climate implications in energy matters, 2. (ii) assessment of the effects of climate and climate change on the energy sector and 3. (iii) facilitating practical applications of meteorological and hydrological information and related methodologies in various areas of energy conservation, production and distribution. WMO is pursuing some of these objectives by supporting the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). In following up the results of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) focus is on Agenda 21. In the now ratified FCCC reference is made to energy, promotion and sustainable management and conservation of resources as well as to the need for adaptation. In particular it is stated that “the developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II (to the FCCC) shall take all practicable steps to promote, facilitate and finance, as appropriate, the transfer of, or access to, environmentally sound technologies and know-how to other Parties, particularly developing country Parties, to enable them to implement the provisions of the Convention”. The Conference of the Parties to the FCCC will meet for the first time early in 1995 and one of its tasks, in the years ahead, will be to guide the implementation of the Convention. The Senior Expert Symposium on Electricity and Environment, which was held in Helsinki in May 1991 initiated a Joint (Inter-Agency) Project on Databases and Methodologies for Comparative Assessment of Different Energy Sources for Electricity Generation (DECADES). It is important that the best available information are made available to this project in order to assure compatibility of the data for the different energy sources. On issues relating to Energy and Environment, as well as to development and use of new and renewable sources of energy, WMO continues to assume the role as the authoritative scientific voice in matters relating to the atmosphere, water and climate in the world arena.