UN World Meteorological Organization celebrates World Meteorological Day today

Each year, on March 23, the World Meteorological Organization and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme. This year, the theme is “Weather, climate and the air we breathe”.

The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization says there is a close relationship between weather-climate systems and global pollution. The organization says these relationships also affect people's health.

WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution. Scientists and medical professionals are increasingly aware of the critical linkages between weather, climate, the composition of the air we breathe and their effects on human health.

The World Health Organization estimates about two million people die prematurely every year due to air pollution, more than half in developing countries. WHO says declining air quality worsens illnesses and deaths from asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer.

A warming climate can worsen air pollution in other ways as well. Climate change is
expected to increase desertification patterns worldwide, thus increasing the risks posed by sand- and duststorms. It also increases the risk of drought, which can lead to more fires and, in turn, more particulate matter in the atmosphere. Climate-change models indicate that fires will continue to increase in both frequency and intensity with rising global temperatures.

On a more local level, higher temperatures can strengthen urban heating, trapping more pollutants within cities. More generally, climate change can exacerbate heat-related pollution events. Because of the tremendous impact they have on the global climate system, greenhouse gases often lead to increased health risks. The IPCC predicts, for example, increased frequency and intensity of flooding, drought and other natural hazards as a result of a warming climate.

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