World Met Day 2025 Campaign in China

Making Another Big Hit Together

Moments of the World Met Day 2025 Campaign in China

In the blooming and refreshing spring, the highly anticipated campaign to mark World Meteorological Day (WMD) returned on 23 March 2025, unfolding in a fantastic setting and festive atmosphere like last year, with China MetTown once again taking centerstage to host a record number of visitors of all ages and backgrounds, a veritable community carnival in the true sense of the word.

Banners and signs promote World Meteorological Day, displaying event date and early warning themes in a park setting.

Once inside, a scene of déjà-vu leaped to the eyes: scrolls, banners, streamers, and flags decorated the designated outdoor zones and indoor spaces. The yurt-like booths and pavilions were fondly embraced as a meteorological Nadam Fair, with the promotional corridors and boards updated for a new look.

Two large outdoor displays: one with colorful graphics and a rainbow theme, the other featuring multiple photographs. Both are set up on a sports track near buildings and trees.

The campaign officially opened at 09:00 with a ceremony, during which a WMD-themed video was shown, the Ten Major Advances in Meteorological Modernization in 2024 were announced, the 2024 Report on Global Meteorological Development (RGMD) was released, the first National Meteorological Science and Technology Innovation Competition for College Students was launched, and the 2025 Rural Met-Pop Tour began. At the same time, five selected sites across China were live-streamed online to demonstrate the nationwide reach. Notably, 27 international participants from other NMHSs of WMO Members, including the Philippines, Pakistan, Oman, Nigeria, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Seychelles, Uruguay, Uganda, Chile, Kazakhstan, Benin, Thailand, Algeria, Congo (Brazzaville), Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Mongolia, and the Maldives, were physically present. The first-ever multinational WMD gathering contributed so significantly to the community knowing no boundary, that making it a regular practice was under consideration.

Four people stand on a stage with hands on a podium at the 2025 World Meteorological Day event, with a banner in the background.

“23 March this year marks the 65th World Meteorological Day, with the theme Closing the Early Warning Gap Together to highlight the critical role of early warning in building the first line of defense for meteorological disaster risk reduction (DRR), as well as the international meteorological community’s strong expectation for global cooperation to ensure weather and climate security,” said Dr. Chen Zhenlin, Permanent Representative (PR) of China with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Administrator of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

Two group photos showing diverse people posing in formal attire. The first is indoors with a blue backdrop; the second is outdoors with a white tent and blue banner.

“As it is better to be safe than sorry, it is wise to take preventive measures and provide for the future. Working together to ensure global coverage of early meteorological warnings is the vision of the international community as well as an important mission of the Chinese meteorological community. CMA will bring itself up to a better position to support the EW4ALL initiative with Chinese wisdom, solutions, and strength,” he vowed.

People at an outdoor event interact at booths under white tents. A child stands beside a weather-themed cutout display.

In a period of murky, elusive, and even unpredictable flux, the recently concluded Sixty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-62) in Hangzhou and the 30^th anniversary of the China Global Atmosphere Watch Baseline Observatory (CGAWBO) were both high on the agenda of outreach workshops and public lectures. These discussions underscored the urgent awareness surrounding the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W), reinforcing the relevance of A Shared Atmosphere for Humanity (无界大气人类共享) as a still-valid and potential theme for years to come.

Three images: A van parked outside a building; a conference with attendees seated facing a large screen; a formal meeting with participants around a rectangular table in a well-lit room.

Alongside state-of-the-art equipment and instruments, there were children’s games, amateur mockup and drills, fun quizzes with prizes, and books gifted with the author’s autograph, among other attractions.

People attending an outdoor environmental event with educational displays and activities in a park-like setting.

Thanks to the efforts of the China Meteorological Service Association (CMSA), an intermediary in public-private engagement (PPE), several companies, including Huayun, a supplier of EWSs, readily joined in to showcase their unique innovations, especially in AI-based operations. Among the new entrants, WMO RTC-Yangzhou, which was designated and inaugurated last year, made its debut in this campaign.

People gather at an outdoor event with banners and posters; merchandise displayed on a table; group holds a thank you poster with photos in an indoor setting.

In summary, China, as a responsible and conscientious WMO Member, is committed to closing the early warning gap together with others. This commitment is evidenced by a striking and resounding campaign that was smartly organized, extensively engaged, and intensively covered.

Contributed by CHEN Jinyang, Jacky ZHANG Yong, XU Wanzhi, Melinda XIAO Fang, Victor JIA Ning

Photos credited to YE Mengshu, JIANG Lei, CHEN Siyu, ZHOU Qi, LIU Yumian