The weather pattern experienced in Fiji is not from global warming but our natural variability.
Manager Climate Special Services at the Fiji Metrological Service, Dr Sushil Sharma says Fiji and other pacific island states may go through this for the next two to three months.
“Media reports stating these conditions related to global warming is not good. They have not helped in determining the drought conditions especially at grassroots level,” Dr Sharma said.
“Conditions worsened because of the effect of the El Nino, which has been experienced in Fiji and our neighboring countries.
“The effect added to this (drought) but we are hopeful it will not last more than three months.”
A central task of climate science is to predict the sensitivity of climate to changes of carbon dioxide concentration in relation to natural variability.
Discussion involving government ministries, agencies and stakeholders at the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) centered on this issue.