MILESTONE 100th ONLINE CLIMATE OUTLOOK FORUM

Climate Outlook Forum. Photo credit: www.tema365.com

This week marks a milestone achievement of cooperation between 11 Pacific nations and Australia in monitoring the climate, with the celebration of the 100th Online Climate Outlook Forum.

The Online Climate Outlook Forum (OCOF) is a monthly teleconference where climate officers from 11 countries across the Pacific get together to discuss and analyse the climate in the past month, and what to expect in the next few months.

This includes predicting how much rainfall could be coming, looking at El Niño and La Niña, talking about what happens with ocean temperatures and sharing the impacts that countries are experiencing, such as food and water shortages.

Deputy Director of the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services, Lloyd Tahani told SIBC News Solomon Islands has benefited a lot from the forum, through the experiences shared by other countries.

“When other countries share their climate experiences, it gives an overview of climate across the region, which is most likely to affect us in Solomon Islands and not only that also other experiences of other countries on the application of climate can also help us as it did through this forum.”