kathryn.wolak
Professor Brian Golding, President of the Royal Meteorological Society, talks about some of the Society’s impact in 2025 in this RMetS Christmas Message.
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to reach out to members of the Royal Metrological Society with this Christmas message.
As we approach the end of the year, two recent events are very much on my mind: the devastation in Jamaica resulting from Hurricane Melissa and the limited progress in curtailing climate change achieved at COP. RMetS once again had observer status at COP, and the COP hub showcases RMetS voices, insights, and reflections to highlight how weather and climate science contribute to global climate solutions and to inspire the actions that will shape a sustainable future. Do take a look at those.
Over the next few weeks, I, like many of you, will be celebrating the Christmas season with parties and celebrations, and it strikes me that I ought to be making the connection with these recent events and thinking about how my celebrations can benefit those affected by weather-related disasters and how at the same time I can contribute to reducing the emissions that are changing our climate in such dangerous ways. One way individuals can act is to support those who are active in delivering emissions reductions, whether individuals, scientists, business leaders, or politicians. The Royal Metrological Society is an excellent example to highlight. This year, we were pleased to share that after many years of work, we’ve now reduced the emissions that we directly control by more than ninety percent to just a small fraction of a ton of carbon dioxide equivalent per annum, and we’ve achieved it ahead of target. This is a critical step toward achieving net zero, which requires a significant reduction across all of our activities, including by our suppliers.
This year was our anniversary year, and celebrations took place at Hartwell House, where the society was formed in 1850. To commemorate this milestone, we invited leading voices from across the society to share their visions for the future of the weather and climate science profession. These thought-provoking opinion pieces explore what the next few decades might hold, from the evolution of forecasting to increasing professionalism within weather and climate science to the changing role of meteorology in society. If you haven’t seen them, do take a look.
As the society celebrates its anniversary, we recognise that there are growing challenges facing meteorology. From countering the threat of misinformation to helping society mitigate and adapt to the devastating impacts of climate change, we’ve created a fund for the future to meet these challenges by providing long-term financial stability that enables the society to grow the impact of its educational and outreach programs. This initiative enables members and other supporters to make a meaningful, lasting contribution to meteorology by leaving the society a gift in their will.
And what of the society’s work this year? We hosted over 50 events, including our Annual Weather and Climate Conference and our Early Careers and Student Conference, both of which I was delighted to attend.
We published our peer-review guide to help early-career researchers build confidence, develop critical skills, and actively contribute to the scientific community through high-quality peer review.
We published ‘Science Communication: Opportunities and Challenges’, a toolkit for scientists developed by the Royal Meteorological Society and the Met Office. This toolkit is designed to equip weather and climate scientists with the knowledge and strategies needed to share their research confidently while effectively navigating the challenges of public engagement.
The ‘State of the UK Climate’ report was published in the society’s International Journal of Climatology, and we also published our ‘State of the Climate for the UK Energy Sector’ report, highlighting how weather events have significantly impacted electricity generation, demand, and infrastructure across the UK.
The Royal Metrological Society education team has also been very active this year, promoting climate literacy among school leavers and training hundreds of geography teachers. Our curriculum for climate literacy was released earlier this year, and we’ve just released the findings from our annual climate literacy survey, which found that too many UK school leavers are still not well prepared for green careers.
This year saw the 10th anniversary of the Weather Photographer of the Year competition, which reaches tens of millions of people globally. Alongside the striking images of weather phenomena, this year’s competition included a new climate category and a climate gallery underscoring the connection between weather patterns and the broader impacts of climate change.
Finally, the RMetS professional accreditation program reached a key milestone of 100 chartered meteorologists this year. As the professional body for weather and climate science, the society remains steadfast in supporting the profession and championing the highest standards of expertise, integrity, and innovation across our community, ensuring that meteorology continues to thrive in the service of society.
Once again, I’d like to thank all of our members for their ongoing support of the society and to wish everyone a joyful festive season in whatever way you celebrate.
