Public health professionals are increasingly concerned about the impact climate variability and change can have on infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and bacterial meningitis. However, in order to study the relationships between climate and …
The December 2011 precipitation forecast issued by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society called for a 75 percent chance of above normal precipitation over parts of the Philippines between January and March. As the months played out, storms brought roughly eight inches more rain than usual for the period. That’s about 85 percent more than usual. Does this mean the forecast was right? What if the storms never materialized and the region received eight inches of rain less than normal? Would the forecast then have been wrong?
Two acres of cracked earth. In northern Ethiopia, it can be a trap that keeps farmers tethered to it for generations. Or it can be a springboard to a better life for this and future generations. What impedes it from showing its springier qualities? You could argue the biggest pressure on the land comes from the sky above it.
The current rainy season in the Horn of Africa is off to a poor start, and fear of famine once again looms large for the region.
What’s a “climate service”? Depends on whom you ask, which is why it is crucial to bring as many different perspectives to the table, says Guy Brassuer, head of Germany’s Climate Service Center.
It’s terribly important that those who provide climate services are backed up by science and most importantly, link with and understand the problems of the user community. – says John Zillman, former president of the World Meteorological Organization, in the fourth in a series of video interviews.
IRI is offering a token of thanks for helping us reach a Twitter milestone. Care to help us get there?
Speed dating can help singles looking for love. Can it help bring artists and scientists closer together, too?
Last week, IRI organized a conference that brought together nearly 100 individuals from 30 countries to discuss the state and future of international climate services. What was discussed and what were the outcomes?
The components of La Niña are getting ready to tango. But will their performance break any climate records this time around?
State of the Planet is a forum for discussion on varying viewpoints. The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Earth Institute or Columbia University.
