Weathernews Inc. participated in the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022. A Weathernews representative spoke at a side event organized by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment (MOEJ) at the COP27 Japan Pavilion on November 10.  
The presentation at COP27 reported on initiatives for climate change initiatives and the global deployment of services and infrastructure, as well as the significance of public-private partnerships and the different roles played by each sector. Weathernews also took part in a panel discussion with the MOEJ, the CDP (a non-governmental organization that manages environmental impact), research institutes and other enterprises on resolving issues and strengthening resilience against climate change toward the realization of a sustainable economy and society.
One major theme of the COP27 was assistance to developing countries which are less prepared for disasters and highly susceptible to damage. In particular, adaptation measures against and loss and damage due to climate change have become top priorities in developing countries. Weathernews launched its Climate Tech division in June 2022 and has been providing support for companies regarding adaptation to climate change.
Leveraging its expertise gained through expanding weather information services to 50 countries, Weathernews will continue to develop services to minimize weather- and climate-related risks to various regions around the globe. In parallel, efforts for quantitative analysis of climate change-related risks, adaptation measures against risks using weather information, and reinforcement of our infrastructure network to improve service quality will be conducted as part of Weathernews’ service for prompting early warning against disasters.

Weathernews presentations and discussions held at COP27’s Japan Pavilion

Supporting Adaptation and Mitigation for Climate Change

Since its founding in 1986, Weathernews has provided weather solution services in 50 nations worldwide. In Japan, it has developed a proprietary observation network ten times larger than the Japan Meteorological Agency's network. Weathernews also collects 180,000 reports per day from its weather application users, and this weather data is used to enhance its proprietary weather database. This weather database is utilized to improve weather forecasts and sophisticate weather information services which are provided to businesses in various industries such as navigation, aviation, and terrestrial transport, as well as applications for individual users.
Weathernews also provides services for mitigating and adapting to risks from climate change, such as helping the reduction of CO2 emissions through ship routing support, predicting the supply and demand of products and materials in the supply chain, and optimizing inventory management to minimize food loss.
In recent years, companies have been required to assess and disclose climate change risks for the purpose of corporate resilience, and in June 2022, Weathernews established a new Climate Tech division to support such corporate climate change initiatives. Climate Tech provides services to quantitatively analyze and assess the physical risks associated with climate change risks. Going forward, we will continue to reinforce our infrastructure network outside of Japan for quantitative analysis of climate change risks, adaptive measures to risks using weather information, and service quality enhancement.

Global Development of Weather and Climate Risk Advisory Services  

Weathernews has been expanding services globally in the maritime and aviation industries. Its next plan is to develop a weather database in urban areas of Thailand and Vietnam with the same density as Japan's AMeDAS(Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System) to provide weather information and disaster prevention advisory as quickly as possible. The observation equipment deployed will be used for high frequency nowcasting and service content. In a joint workshop with UNESCO and local governments in the east African region, Weathernews used its AI chatbot in discussing support for disaster recovery.

The Role of the Private Sector and Public-Private Partnerships

While the JMA is responsible for issuing warnings in Japan, Weathernews provides high-resolution, high-precision information using its own observation network to deliver your weather information. Its detailed weather forecasts and decision-support services are tailored to the unique needs of individuals, businesses, and governments.
Weathernews will continue its efforts to reduce weather risks and climate change risks, ultimately aiming to become a communication platform for all of the world's eight billion people, working with other countries to develop new and innovative services to reduce risks both at home and abroad.

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