African countries collectively have emitted very little of the greenhouse gases that have caused climate change, but are badly affected by climate-induced floods, droughts and heat waves. To withstand some of the most devastating extreme weather events, African countries need to adapt fast. Setting up advanced climate information services that predict climate disasters ahead of time is critical. Environmental sciences lecturer Fredrick Kayusi was part of a group of researchers who investigated where climate information systems are falling short and what can be done to remedy the problem.
What are climate information services? Why are they so important?
Climate information services are anchored in weather services. A weather service provides a complete and daily weather description of a specific region. But a climate information service uses this weather data to determine whether it is likely that an extreme weather event (such as floods, drought or heat waves) will occur in the future.
In a nutshell, a climate information service releases data about the changing climate. This helps people and governments plan for the future. It is designed to help people who are affected by climate change—such as farmers—to manage the risks and adapt before extreme weather strikes them.
Climate information services include forecasts of the climate for the season ahead and early warning systems.
They also include climate risk assessments, which predict what could happen to a community if a climate disaster strikes, and advisory services. Agricultural advisory services, for example, give farmers information they need to plan around the changing climate.
Ideally, climate information services can generate information for different groups of people who are affected by climate change differently.
Advances in satellite technology, telecommunications and climatology have made real-time, location-specific climate information a reality. African community-based climate information services are growing in importance as Earth gets hotter and more climate disasters strike.