A CHILDREN’S GUIDE TO METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA

World Meteorological Day is celebrated on 23 March. Climate
change, which has become more and more pronounced also in our country,
goes hand in hand with extreme weather conditions. Meteorologists forecast
that climate change will have an increasingly stronger effect on today’s
youth and on generations to come.

All over the world today there is a noticeable increase
in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, the ice caps are receding, sea
levels are growing… The latest UN Climate Report underlines that an increase
in greenhouse gas levels in the world will be the cause of increasingly
frequent flooding, unusual heat waves and other weather extremes leading
to hunger, disease and the migration of people.

This winter in the County of Primorje and Gorski Kotar
we were witnesses to an unprecedented natural disaster caused by ice in
the forests of Gorski Kotar, as well as to unusual water events with flooding,
and, shortly before that, gale-force bora winds leading to problems with
windthrow. Such extreme weather conditions were the cause of enormous
damage to areas managed by PI “Priroda”.

Ensuring that people of all ages are well-informed is
vital to helping them develop the ability to predict and alleviate unwelcome
situations and to adapt to emerging climate change. Hence the need of
engaging young people as underscored by the theme of this year’s World
Meteorological Day, “Weather and Climate: Engaging Youth”.

Eager to be a part of this celebration, our youngest
associates, Ana and Nina, have prepared “A Children’s Guide to Meteorological
Phenomena”. Primarily targeting fifth-graders, the guide explains
different types of meteorological phenomena using drawings and text. (See:
Priručnik
o meteorološkim pojavama za djecu).

Damage caused by ice to forests in protected areas in the County of Primorje
and Gorski Kotar – Significant Landscape Kamačnik, February 2014 (Photo
by Patrik Krstinić)