WIREDGOV

The Met Office and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed an agreement to work together to build greater resilience to weather and climate extremes in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

The partnership aims to address the current risks and future impacts of climate change in Asia and the Pacific which have recently been highlighted by Working Group II of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report. Rob Varley, CEO of the Met Office, and Juan Miranda, Managing Director General of the  ADB signed the agreement at the bank's headquarters in Manila. While there, Rob also presented to ADB on the future challenges facing National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and the opportunities for partnership focusing on the need to apply science through to services and ultimately action.

Many countries across Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines itself, are at the forefront of experiencing the direct and secondary socio-economic impacts of a changing climate - higher temperatures, sea level rise and extreme weather conditions.

ADB is providing support to develop knowledge on climate change. This includes producing data and information that can be used to make decisions, integrate climate risk management in development planning and invest in adaptation. This collaboration will give ADB access to world leading climate information and enrich Met Office's experience of development challenges and opportunities in Asia and the Pacific.

Julian Menadue, Senior International Development Manager at the Met Office, said: "We have been building links with ADB for a number of years and this agreement demonstrates our joint commitment to work closely together for the benefit of the people of Asia. We hope this partnership will allow us advance the scientific understanding of the how the climate of Asia will change in future and allow ADB to support the region in building climate resilience.''

Nessim J. Ahmad, Deputy Director General of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department of ADB said: "This partnership will help ADB's developing member countries access state of the art climate projections and scenarios to enhance climate resilience across the Asia and Pacific Region."

This collaboration by the Met Office with ADB is another example of the Met Office's continued drive to pull its science expertise through to applicable service delivery with partners such as the ADB. It forms an integral part of the Met Office's increasingly strong links across South East Asia, and the Philippines in particular, and follows a number of partnerships and collaborations for the Met Office, both in the UK and internationally.