In a world where climate change and energy transition have become pressing global concerns, the role of organizations like the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is crucial. We had the privilege of sitting down with the lead of WMO’s Climate and Energy Programme to discuss the significant challenges they face. The importance of data sharing and international collaboration emerged as key themes in our conversation, underscoring the collective efforts needed to address these challenges and the role of emerging technologies in achieving a sustainable future.
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CBR: What are the most significant challenges you face in developing weather, water, and climate services for energy and efficiency?
Roberta Boscolo: The most significant challenges are always data and having global observations coverage and at all locations, high resolution, and good quality data. We coordinate the collection of data at the World Meteorological Organisation maintained by our Member Countries, but many energy companies also gather meteorological in addition to energy data. These datasets must be combined and standardized to analyse energy resilience and efficiency. I identified two main aspects, data coverage and data exchange, which are significant challenges. We are collaborating with the private sector and our member countries, which have meteorological services and maintain observations of meteorological parameters. Our goal is to work together to establish communication and collaboration between public and private sectors, and to share information. This collaborative channel will help scientists and technical experts like me to develop better services for energy sector. This collective effort requires the participation of all stakeholders, including the energy industry, energy institutions, and our member countries.
CBR: International collaboration, a cornerstone for delivering these services. How do you navigate countries’ political and economic differences to foster practical global cooperation?
Roberta Boscolo: Communication and diplomacy are essential. Every country has its own policies, contexts, and climates, so it’s crucial to contextualize information regionally and nationally. We engage in workshops and events, such as a recent one in Abu Dhabi (workshop on scoping a global centre for weather, water and climate services for renewable energies), to bring global and local experts together. These platforms allow us to discuss the benefits of sharing information and best practices, highlighting that collaboration leads to mutual benefits. WMO and the United Nations navigate geopolitics by emphasizing win-win situations through cooperation and shared goals.
CBR: Considering the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, how do you balance the need for immediate climate action with this long-term objective?
Roberta Boscolo: Immediate climate action must have an emphasis on adaptation as well as setting mid-term goals, like tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, in order to act on the root cause of climate change and reach the long-term goals target mitigation. Mitigation involves reducing emissions and implementing solutions, like renewable energy, for the long-term ambition. However, climate change is accelerating, global warming is affecting all aspect of our lives, necessitating immediate adaptation efforts. Developing countries, which have contributed the least to climate change, are often the most vulnerable. We must support their adaptation efforts and help them transition to clean energy for their development. Financial support is crucial to increase their resilience and ensure climate-positive development.
CBR: Excessive heat exposure is a growing concern, especially in developing countries. How can climate services mitigate the economic impacts of excessive heat exposure on workers?
Roberta Boscolo: Heat is an emerging emergency, especially for outdoor workers in regions like the Middle East. WMO is developing climate services for heat and health, including early warnings for heat waves. These services inform people in advance, allowing for preparation and resilience, such as adjusting work shifts or pausing outdoor activities during extreme heat. Additionally, providing information on coping strategies and plans to protect vulnerable populations during heat events is crucial. Heat often goes unnoticed compared to more visible extreme weather events, such as floods or storms, yet it causes millions of deaths annually. Early warnings and preparedness can significantly reduce heat-related impacts.
CBR: Your focus includes integrating climate science into the energy sector. What strategies have been most effective, particularly in developing countries?
Roberta Boscolo: Ensuring the resilience of critical energy infrastructure—such as grids, thermal plants, and hydropower—has always been a priority. As we transition to renewable energy, which is a more weather-dependent system, WMO’s role in providing meteorological information becomes even more vital. Accurate weather, water, and climate data are essential for optimizing renewable energy operations and market trading. Increasing the capacity of national meteorological services in developing countries to support their energy sectors is a crucial strategy. This capacity-building enables these countries to better manage energy resources and plan for a sustainable future.
CBR: Despite the progress, there still needs to be gaps in climate science knowledge. What are the most critical gaps that need urgent attention, and how is WMO addressing them?
Roberta Boscolo: In the recent workshop in Abu Dhabi, we identified significant gaps in utilizing climate science for the energy users. One of the issues that emerged is the imperative to translate existing climate information into actionable insights for energy planning and operations. While we have comprehensive IPCC reports and models, they often need are not location specific and sector-specific for meaningful applications. We must develop tools that provide detailed, actionable data, such as forecasting wind energy generation rather than just wind speed. Additionally, we must adopt a holistic approach, considering the interconnectedness of energy, water, and food security. WMO is working to bridge these gaps by enhancing the capacity of meteorological services and developing integrated tools that address these broader systemic interactions.
CBR: Looking ahead, what emerging technologies and trends in climate science and renewable energy do you believe will be critical in achieving the targets set by the Paris Agreement?
Roberta Boscolo: I firmly believe that artificial intelligence is a frontier of science that can greatly assist us in various ways. It can revolutionize energy forecasting, enable better utilization of data for policymaking, and most importantly, enhance resource management and distribution at a regional level. Envision a future where energy is interconnected at a regional level, with each country having its own renewable energy source that can be traded with neighbouring countries. This interconnected system will enable energy surplus trading, such as when wind conditions are more favourable in a neighbouring country. AI’s role in optimizing global resources and improving regional energy interconnectivity is crucial. Initiatives are already underway to bridge the data gap by using AI for filling uncovered observation networks. Such efforts go hand in hand with other initiatives like SOFF, Systemic Observations Financing Facility. SOFF is a UN initiative to maintain and enhance the observational network in basic weather and climate observations, especially low-developed countries and small islands developing states.
Furthermore, WMO is partnering with other UN agencies to enhance early warning systems for energy sector resilience, population, and critical infrastructure to address climate change mitigation and facilitate a transition to a sustainable future. Artificial intelligence, as a frontier of science, plays a crucial role in providing better forecasts, thereby reassuring us about the accuracy of future predictions. It can help us to use the data for more policy-oriented information, like to better manage the resources and the distribution of resources. The future of energy system will be more interconnected at the regional level rather than, as now, having few countries supply energy to all the rest. Every country have more or less its own source of renewable energy, which it can be traded with neighbouring countries when, for example, the wind blows strongly in the one country, and a surplus of energy, that country can trade the energy with the neighbouring country. So, artificial intelligence can help us optimize global resources and better interconnect the energy system at the regional level. These trends and emerging technologies will help us make a faster transition to clean energy, which we need to mitigate climate change and transition as soon as possible to a sustainable future.
