Forecasts should report on climate change says Bill Giles

THE BBC should report on climate change in its weather forecasts, a veteran meteorologist said yesterday.

Bill Giles said he felt broadcasters were doing viewers a disservice by not informing them of the crisis – and it will only serve to worsen the situation.

‘I am calling on the BBC and the other major broadcasters to incorporate an additional five- to ten-minute slot into the forecast that focuses properly and honestly on the Earth’s changing climate,’ the former forecaster told Radio Times.

‘This climate change slot should air at least once a week and would use our technical ability to show weather everywhere in the world to explain in clear, “non-jargony” or technical terms the reasons why our climate is changing – largely due to human influences – and the effects of this on us and all other animals.’

Giles, who led the BBC weather team for 17 years until his retirement in 2000, says the public is largely misinformed about climate change and regular broadcasts would rectify this. ‘Where the sceptics go wrong is that they confuse weather and climate,’ he said.

‘Of course you can have a very cold spell in the winter in the UK, as we did last year, by being visited by the so-called Beast of the East. But that’s weather, not climate. Climate is long term – decades and centuries.

‘In clear and responsible terms, the public need to be better informed on how they are going to be affected by climate change – and also what we can do to minimise it.’

Giles said that he would be willing to step out of retirement to help the cause, adding: ‘As was clear to me back in the 1980s when I first started talking and writing about the effects of climate change, the facts are stark.

‘I’d be happy to offer any advice or help as well. Because understanding and explaining climate change is one of the most important things facing humanity today.’