TEHRAN - The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will facilitate the process of providing World Area Forecast Center (WAFC) information to Iran.

Mohammad Abubakr Farea, the head of the ICAO office in the Middle East, made the announcement in a meeting with Sahar Tajbakhsh, the head of Iran's Meteorological Organization, IRIB reported.

He considered meteorological services as one of the pillars of air safety in the aviation industry and added: “The consequences of climate change play an effective role in increasing the risks of aviation.”

WAFC is a meteorological center that provides real-time meteorological information broadcast for aviation purposes.

These broadcasts are supervised by ICAO which is necessary for flights. The role of the WAFCs is to provide meteorological messages with worldwide coverage for pilot briefing.

The "WAFC" system includes sequential forecasting of some atmospheric parameters in different layers of the atmosphere such as wind, temperature, and weather hazards, which improves aviation safety.

The information in this system is effective for aviation purposes, especially flights crossing the country, which are provided to airlines.

According to a report by WHO, Iran is amongst the most vulnerable countries to climate change due to its geographic, economic, and climatic characteristics. For instance, a large area of the country is susceptible to floods, while changing trends in precipitation have also led to droughts and forest fires.

Climate change increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events including drought and floods. Rising sea levels can lead to storm surges, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion of groundwater aquifers, and ecosystem disruption. These events can lead to population displacement and affect water and sanitation infrastructure and services, contaminating water with fecal bacteria (e.g. E. coli, salmonella) from runoff or sewer overflow. Increasing temperatures and precipitation can also lead to water contaminated with Vibrio bacteria or algae blooms.

Water resources are expected to be less reliable in the future in Iran, with an observed 50 percent decrease in surface runoff (and consequential reductions in water availability) and flood occurrence potentially increasing by around 52 percent.

Climate change will worsen such trends; by 2030, there is a projected further 25 percent decrease in surface water runoff in Iran.

Ambient air pollution can have direct and sometimes severe consequences for health. Fine particles, which penetrate deep into the respiratory tract, subsequently increase mortality from respiratory infections, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Sand and dust storms have severe impacts on human health, by increasing particulate matter and carrying harmful substances and pathogens, all of which contribute to air pollution and associated respiratory problems.

Furthermore, sand and dust storms increase desertification, drought, and soil salinity, as well as decrease water resources. This has severe implications for people’s livelihoods as well as their health, with agricultural land being particularly badly affected.

There has been an observed increase in the frequency and severity of sand and dust storms globally. This is expected to worsen with climate change and be further exacerbated by drought, land degradation, and unsustainable land and water management.

MT/MG