Tapping into Met Service Data to Inform Policy Development
The National Meteorological and Hydrological Services has been collecting data since the 1960’s. This data, which is readily available, can be used to track the changes and variability in the climate since then. A high-level meeting which seeks to establish a national framework of weather and climate services in Belize was held at the Green Complex Building Auditorium in Belmopan. It was hosted by the National Met Service in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization. According to Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Disaster Risk Management and NEMO, Doctor Kenrick Williams, this data can be used to inform policy development and operations within the productive sector.
Kenrick Williams
Dr. Kenrick Williams, C.E.O., Ministry of Sustainable Development, Disaster Rick Management & NEMO
“In agriculture, in transport, in energy, if you know the weather, if you understand the hydro climatic events, these data that the National Met Service provides then you can use that in your planning; you can use both the short term and the long term series data in proper planning. So for instance, we have the national climate outlook forum which we have at least once a year. It’s usually twice a year – a wet season and a dry season forum – where we bring together stakeholders to provide them with an idea of what the forecast looks like for the season. But as well, they explore the tools and information that the national meteorological services have to give them a sense of what the weather would be like, how it would inform or impact their sectors. So essentially what we want to do is to scale that up. To better inform development planning, to better inform policy planning, to better inform national investments in infrastructure development, to better inform our health management system and reduce health risk – all of this as it relates to climate change adaptation, building resilience in the country; how we can use this information from the National Meteorological Service to inform some of those building long terms resilience for the country.”
