The Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment, Infrastructure and Transport, Parveen Bala, has urged people to understand, and share their knowledge to their communities about climate change and its reality.

He was speaking during World Meteorological Day celebration at the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) ground in Rakiraki, yesterday.

“Changing climatic pattern is real. We must all work together and take action,” Mr Bala said.

“I urge you all present here today to visit the booths to learn and understand more about clouds and share your knowledge with your communities on the reality of changing weather, climate and hydrological patterns,” he said.

He also discussed the celebration’s theme and its importance. The theme for this year’s international event is ‘Understanding Clouds’.

“I wish to thank you all being here despite the many difficulties you have experienced that were caused by natural disasters in the last year and a half.

“You faced a dry spell, and then you very bravely faced Tropical Cyclone Winston which was followed by numerous flooding events.

“This shows us that our communities in Rakiraki are able to adapt quickly and are becoming more resilient to weather, climate and hydrological changing patterns. I congratulate you all in bringing back normalcy to your lives and livelihood.

“Our climate is changing. This is not just a future scenario. It is happening now.

“Today scientists understand that clouds play a vital role in regulating the earth’s energy balance, climate, weather and hydrological cycle.

“They help to drive the water cycle and the entire climate system around the world.

“Understanding clouds is essential for understanding and forecasting weather conditions, modelling the impacts of future climate change and predicting the availability of water resources.

“Understanding clouds from a global climate perspective introduces new and challenging questions, which in turn challenge our overall assumptions of how the moist cloudy atmosphere actually works,” he said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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