JERUSALEM, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli government on Sunday approved the establishment of a national climate calculation center to predict the regional impacts of global warming.
The new research center will be equipped with a supercomputer with substantial research and database capabilities to enable detailed climatic forecasts in the future, according to a statement jointly issued by five ministries and the Israel Water and Sewage Authority.
The center will be operated by the Israeli Meteorological Service under the guidance of scientists, with the aim to assist the government to take preventive and adaptive measures based on climate risk mapping, said the statement.
Climate researchers in Israel and from other countries in the region will have open access to the center's infrastructure, it said.
The ministries noted climate change has far-reaching implications for ecosystems, economic sectors, such as agriculture, energy and transport, and even national security.
Israeli Environment Ministry has warned that climate change is expected to reduce the already limited freshwater resources in the region, and drive sea level rises. ■
