Because the weather is a matter of international concern affecting all the world’s countries, the WMO is a highly valuable organization that promotes the sharing of meteorological data between nations. Formerly the International Meteorological Organization (est. 1873), the WMO was created in 1950; the next year, it came under the aegis of the United Nations. The WMO is interested in severe weather forecasting and in the impacts of human activities on the environment that affect the climate and weather.