State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate Services: No need to wait for disasters to happen

This is the third of ten interviews with climate and development experts conducted at the International Conference on Climate Services, held at Columbia University last October. We will be posting a new video every Tuesday and Friday morning.

Maarten Van Aalst is the Director of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre. In this interview he talks about how the Red Cross is using climate information to mobilize resources ahead of time. He also brings up the risks of over-interpreting climate forecasts and models.

“We’ve become increasingly aware that we need to anticipate disasters rather than just wait for them to happen. We’ve seen a strong increase in weather-related disasters over the past years. People are confronted with increasing uncertainty in a changing climate. And we need climate information to be able to see disasters coming ahead of time, not just hours, but also weeks, months, and even decades in terms of trends.”

Learn more on the ICCS website and the Climate Services Partnership.

Colorful banner image over Earth with text "Open House Discover Science, October 19, 2024, 10am to 4pm

Join us on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House! Celebrate 75 years of science with us at our beautiful Palisades, NY campus. The event is free and open to everyone, with a suggested $5 donation. Learn More and RSVP

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