Today we introduce you to Nyree Pinder – Global Partnerships Manager at the United Kindgom Meteorological Office (Met Office) and co-Chair of REAP’s Early Warning Initiatives Working Group. Nyree’s objective is to connect Met Office International with people who also finance and deliver programmes related to early warnings, thereby reducing the potential for duplication of effort at the national, regional and global levels, and increasing the impact of the Met Office’s (and their partners’) work. Nyree brings a wealth of diverse experience to her role, having worked across five continents in film & TV music score coordination, travel writing, restaurant management and English teaching.
Most recently, Nyree is leading on coordinating the UP Focus Day (Unifying Partners to ensure warnings save lives) at the Understanding Risk Global Forum 2024 (UR24), held in Himeiji, Japan, from June 16 – 21. Before the forum kicks off, we asked Nyree why it’s such an important moment in the annual calendar, and how the Met Office is working to ensure that early warnings are saving lives.
1. Tell us about Understanding Risk – why are you ‘talking UP’ at the conference?
I am a curious person and daughter of a journalist, a combination which means I ask a lot of questions! Since meeting Met Office meteorologists during a storm in Rwanda in 2012, discussing lives lost to the intense lightning we were witnessing at the time, I am fortunate to have joined the ranks of those who strive to help people better prepare and protect themselves against natural hazards and the future impacts of climate change.
The Understanding Risk community hosts a diverse range of creative, socially conscious, passionate and experienced doers specialising in meteorology, climate, risk management, AI, and beyond. Japan is also recognised as a leader in disaster risk management and so their hosting of UR24 based on the themes of ‘Tradition, Innovation and Resilience’ is timely and appropriate. UR24 will provide an excellent opportunity for all early warning early action partners to share valuable traditional knowledge and innovative approaches to better understand what makes a truly resilient nation. Hence, the creation of the UP Focus Day – Unifying Partners old and new to ensure warnings save lives. This Focus Day showcases sessions designed by the Risk-iInformed Early Action Partnership, the Met Office and REAP partners to provide valuable information on innovative approaches to funding and how to design effective early warning system programmes. The common thread is ensuring early warning early action programmes are people-centred in their design – and we will also be exploring innovative ways to finance this work. It is a key coordination opportunity for all, recognising the busy landscape that now falls under the UN Early Warnings for All initiative.
2. What other early warning/early action initiatives does the Met Office deliver?
The Met Office has worked for over 50 years with 150+ countries to assist in the capture and sharing of essential weather and climate data through the World Meteorological Organization, the mandated UN framework for this international cooperation. Without this essential data sharing cooperation and facility, national meteorological and hydrometeorological services (NMHSs) would not be in a position to do the scientifically-informed life-saving forecasts. This long standing engagement forms the trusted foundation for a range of programmes the Met Office delivers with NMHSs and other key partners predominantly across Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa. With funding from the UK Government for the Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP), WISER (Weather and Climate Information Services programme) and the Weather and Climate Science to Services Programmes (WCSSP) as well as global partners including WFP, WMO, IFRC and CREWS, the Met Office aims to strengthen weather and climate services across all timescales advocating for: the co-production of national multi-hazard impact based forecasts; the strengthening of regional climate outlook forums in cascading seasonal forecasts for national planning; and the use of climate projections for climate adaptation measures, highlighting the future impacts of climate change on food and water security and other vital sectors. The Met Office, as a member of WMO, also provides voluntary expertise in a range of disciplines and our experience of the impact of our UK Public Weather Services has informed the design and development of multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and warnings, the global framework for climate services, the technical regulations for the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON), the WMO Information System, (updating the technology to enable ease of sharing data globally), and use of AI in forecasting.
3. How has being a REAP Partner helped you scale up your work?
The Met Office had the privilege of co-developing, with the UK Government and other key partners, the concept of REAP for launch at UNCAS 2019. Since then, we have welcomed the opportunity to contribute technical expertise into REAP activities, mainly through the excellent discussions and activities of the Early Warning Initiatives Working Group. This group aims to understand what the gaps remain in achieving an effective early warnings and to explore how our diverse community can help to address these gaps. The REAP community increases the reach of Met Office work, helps us to learn more about effective weather and climate programmes which could and should be scaled up, and opens doors to increased collaboration in this field.
4. What do you see as the next 1-2 priorities in your work?
(1) To help governments better use climate projections to prepare now for the future impacts of climate change.
(2) To help governments understand the national socio-economic benefits of weather and climate information and set in motion a sustainable way for early warnings to be funded, developed and used.