However, he said, “those who spread the seeds of doubt” are unable to back up their claims, not least through the statements of “self-proclaimed experts”, and are flying in the face of evidence that climate change has been provoked by humans.
“Reason will win out in the end,” Berset said.
With over 60 million people directly impacted by extreme weather situations in 2018, and with Switzerland set to suffer more than average in future, he also called for a “strong” WMO that can succeed in its efforts to encourage nations to take the climate question more seriously.
MeteoSwissExternal link, the federal office for meteorology and climatology, represents the country’s interests in the WMO and has contributed to various initiatives in recent years to improve access to data and expertise, particularly for developing country members with less resources.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, also speaking on Monday, lamented that the drop in the organisation’s budget of 16% over the past decades makes such tasks harder.
The gathering is set to continue for almost two weeks, during which time various reforms to guide the WMO’s work over the next decade will be decided; notably, a new governance structure that will bring hydrometeorology and climate experts together around the same table.
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Swiss climate policy: praised abroad, attacked at home
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Alpine nations struggle to confront climate change together
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Climate change is a reality we need to confront; so is denialism
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Global warming is real, but there are five phases of denial among those who question it, says a political scientist from St Gallen.
Could geo-engineering help reverse climate change?
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Technologies that block solar radiation or remove CO2 could help tackle global warming. Switzerland is hoping the global community will explore them.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.