A clear and worrying change both in weather and the climate has now got the attention of many, if perhaps not enough people, who see the new world in their everyday lives. But what do the professionals think? Nobody better to ask than Aisling Creevey, who has presented the weather for the Anglia region since 2017. Before we got stuck into the big issues I asked her how she first became interested in the weather.
I don't recall a time when I wasn't curious about the clouds, the sky and why one day was different to the next and how on earth did they know what the weather would do!
Have you had any other jobs apart from a meteorologist?
Loads! I have worked in a bar, a butcher, a deli, cleaning hotel rooms, a waitress and many more I probably can't remember. I failed university the first time round so eventually went back and became a GIS (explain this) technician. I then went on to do a Master's in Meteorology.
Have you ever had viewers complain that you got the forecast wrong?
All the time! No matter what you do you will never keep everyone happy and a forecast is unlikely to be correct for the 100% of people watching it. You have a short space of time to cover a lot of information, sometimes as short as 18 seconds.
What’s the worst forecast you’d have to cover?
Without a doubt the day the UK reached 40 C. This was only made possible by climate change and I just couldn't believe that what I was reading about 15 years ago was actually happening.
A recent survey has suggested that large numbers of young people feel worried about climate change. However, it is suggested that some reporting has been highly exaggerated by the media so I decided to discuss this further with Aisling and asked her how much she thought the climate has changed over time.
I have been forecasting in the UK for about 15 years and even in that short time it has changed hugely. Patterns of extreme weather are without a doubt on the increase.
What evidence do you have that climate change is happening?
There are lots of ways to understand what the climate has been through ice core samples plus we have some weather data going back over 150 years. When a scientist runs a computer model with and without an increase in C02 in the climate model the weather we have today is as a result of higher c02 emissions.
What can teenagers do to help prevent climate change?
Write to their MP's. Be aware that they are a voice in climate conversations and their opinion matters. Choose green careers as they may come up with something incredible for the future.
What might teenagers do to help prevent climate change?
Be mindful about the companies they buy from. Are they greenwashing? Are they sustainable? What do they do with their profits? Write to your MP! Go into politics!
