Climate Change and Extreme Weather Phenomena

The evening session of the second day of GFDD and FUNGLODE’s International Forum on Climate Change featured presentations on climate change and extreme weather phenomena.

 

Matilde Rusticucci, Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies at the Universidad of Buenos Aires, discussed how global warming is creating conditions of drought
worldwide. Rusticucci posited that from 1999 to 2002, drought conditions reached irreconcilable levels, triggering the need for increased humidity production, in turning generating increased drought conditions. She stressed that if steps are not taken now to mitigate the effects of climate change, drought conditions will continue to worsen.

 

Rusticucci asserted that regional changes in temperature and weather have global effects.
“Tropical storms extend to the poles, impacting the wind patterns, precipitation levels, and temperatures of the geographic areas affected,” contended Rusticucci.

 

Rusticucci concluded her presentation, stressing that unless steps are taken to alleviate the effects of climate change, drought conditions will continue to exacerbate, and tropical storms will increase in severity, progressively impacting higher
latitudes to a greater degree.

 

 

Following Rusticucci’s presentation, Antonio Cocco Quezada, President of ACQ y Asociados, presented his lecture: “Hurricanes: Increased Frequency and Intensity.”

 

Cocco argued that further studies need to be conducted in order to assess whether or not climate change is responsible for meteorological changes. Findings in the 2007 IPCC Report affirm that el Niño is the principal cause of the climatic changes impacting Caribbean nations.  

 

Cocco stressed that in order to lessen the affects of climate change in the Dominican Republic, centers specializing in
meteorological studies need to be developed, along with the creation of a Ministry of Climatic Resources.

 

Upon concluding his presentation, Cocco urged audience members to actively take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to educate others on global warming and the ways in which it can be mitigated.