China holds workshop for Pakistan meteorological experts

Twenty members of the Pakistan meteorological department, including officials, senior meteorological experts and engineers, gathered in Beijing for the Training Workshop on the Application of Cloud-based Early Warning System, which kicked off on Thursday.

The workshop is hosted by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and organized by the World Meteorological Centre Regional Training Center Beijing.

"Climate change is a global issue that has profound impacts on human society and the natural environment. Both China and Pakistan are suffering from the adverse effects of climate change," said Lu Shize, deputy director general of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, at the opening of the training workshop.

He said the recent severe heat waves and floods in Pakistan have highlighted the severe challenges posed by climate change.

"Facing such challenges, the Chinese government attaches great importance to climate change issues and has taken a series of measures to address them. We have established China's Climate Change South-South Cooperation Fund with a donation of 20 billion yuan ($2.75 billion) to support developing countries, including Pakistan, in enhancing their capacity to address climate change and promote green and low-carbon development," Lu added.

According to the organizers, the workshop aims to train Pakistani technical and management experts in the usage, development and application of the Cloud-based Early Warning System. It is believed that the workshop will enhance Pakistan's technical capabilities in meteorological observation, forecasting and disaster prevention and reduction, and to support the implementation of the United Nations Early Warnings for All initiative in Pakistan.

Next, China Meteorological Administration will send experts to Pakistan to collaborate with local meteorological workers to deploy the cloud-based system, according to the administration.