Cuba and the United States agree to cooperate in the field of meteorology and climate

The Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) under the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US Department of Commerce, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the cooperation for the exchange of information and research in weather and climate.

The document was signed by First Deputy Minister of CITMA Dr. Fernando González Bermúdez on the Cuban side and by Vice Admiral Manson Brown, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, and Deputy Administer for NOAA on the US side.

According to the remarks by First Deputy Minister of CITMA during the signing ceremony, this Memorandum “is intended to facilitate the collection and exchange of information, and to conduct joint research in the topics related to meteorology, facing climate change, oceanography and air pollution, which are relevant and essential in order to advance towards the sustainable development not only of our nations, but of the entire region and at a global scale”.

The agreement, which responds to the common interest of both nations, shall cover the areas of climate and weather conditions and forecasting, expansion and integration of meteorological observation networks and hurricane monitoring, analysis and forecasting.

“We trust that this step would be the beginning of a sustained scientific relationship and a higher cooperation between the meteorological community of Cuba and the United States”, stated the Cuban First Deputy Minister.

On his side, Dr. Celso Pasos Alberdi, Director of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology, stressed the importance of this instrument in the face of the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes and their ever-increasing consequences, which is a common challenge for both nations.

“A solid weather and climate forecast based on reliable observations and advanced physical-mathematical models is an essential requisite to adopt new early warning systems and to improve the plans to reduce vulnerabilities in the face of extreme hydrometeorological events”, stated the Cuban high-ranking official.