Announcing the WeatherPod with Alan Thorpe and David Rogers

The WeatherPod – the podcast which explores the role of the weather enterprise in building resilience to extreme weather & climate change.

The WeatherPod is a unique podcast exploring how weather and climate information is produced and used, and the key role of national and international co-operation in addressing the mounting challenges to life, society and business from extreme weather and climate change.

It brings together people and organisations sharing the common goal of providing and using accurate and reliable weather information and services to save lives, protect infrastructure and essential services, and enhance economic output.

According to the World Economic Forum (1), environmental concerns now dominate the top long-term global risks, while an analysis (2) of 500 of the world’s biggest companies found nearly a trillion dollars is at risk because of climate change.

The WeatherPod is published monthly and is co-hosted by Alan Thorpe, a former Director General of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and David Rogers, a former CEO of the UK Met Office and lead meteorological consultant at the World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR).

In each episode, Alan and David invite a guest speaker to discuss various aspects related to weather and climate information and what role could public, private and academia sectors play in addressing the growing societal challenges related to hydromet hazards – from data and information processing and distribution, to its use by growing numbers of weather affected ‘end users’ in business and society.

In addition, each podcast episode includes two news features called ‘Wow, That’s Interesting!’ which highlight science and technology innovations, and the consequences of hazardous weather events which rarely if ever make the headlines.

A central theme of WeatherPod is the importance of co-operation between the public, private and academic sectors in providing accurate and timely weather data products and services.

The WeatherPod is supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR) and has been launched by the Global Weather Enterprise Forum, an engagement between the public, private and academic sectors who make up the ‘global weather enterprise’ and share the common goal of using weather information for the benefit of all.

Target audiences include all those engaged in acquiring and producing weather information (e.g. scientists, companies, and meteorological services), the public and private enterprises affected by the weather, plus policy and decision-makers, the development agencies which finance improvements in weather services and, of course, the general public.

The WeatherPod is part of a planned range of digital communications from the GWE Forum designed to encourage discussion, share knowledge and increase understanding about the increasingly important role of weather information.

The WeatherPod is available to stream and download from the GWE Forum website, https://www.gweforum.org/series/podcasts/, via ACAST (https://shows.acast.com/5f6b61317a9b7e43e0429e31/episodes) Apple iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-weatherpod/id1530926525)and, in the near future, from other popular podcast sites.

Further information

To talk to Alan and David, in the first instance please contact WeatherPod producer, Ian Harper, at ian@moneyvista.co.uk

About the Hosts

Alan Thorpe is an atmospheric scientist who has worked as a Professor of Meteorology, as head of the UK Met Office’s Hadley Centre and, most recently, as Director General of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts.

David Rogers has extensive experience in meteorology and oceanography, is a former Chief Executive of the UK Met Office and now lead meteorological consultant with the World Bank.

About the GWE Forum

The Global Weather Enterprise Forum (GWE Forum) is an international engagement between the public, private and academic sectors, which share the common goal of providing accurate and reliable weather information and services that save lives, protect infrastructure and enhance economic output. The goal of the GWE Forum is to create an open dialogue between the public, private and academic sectors in the Global Weather Enterprise and pursue activities that test new ways to improve the delivery and sustainability of weather, climate and water services.

About the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR)

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. GFDRR is a grant-funding mechanism, managed by the World Bank, that supports disaster risk management projects worldwide. Working on the ground with over 400 local, national, regional, and international partners, GFDRR provides knowledge, funding, and technical assistance.

Sources

(1) Source: World Economic Forum 2020. For the first time in the history of the Global Risks Perception Survey, environmental concerns now dominate the top long-term risks by likelihood among members of the Forum’s multistakeholder community.

(2) Source: CDP. A 2018 analysis of 500 of the world’s biggest companies by market cap found nearly a trillion dollars is at risk because of climate change. Half of these companies also reported climate-related opportunities totalling over US$2.1 trillion dollars.