UN chief urges countries to implement weather disaster warning systems

By Olivia Le Poidevin

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Wednesday to implement disaster warning systems to protect people against extreme weather, saying no country was safe from the effects of global warming.

"Every one of the last 10 years has been the hottest in history. Ocean heat is breaking records while decimating ecosystems. And no country is safe from fires, floods, storms and heatwaves," he told delegates at a U.N. World Meteorological Organization conference in Geneva marking the agency's 75th year.

Guterres urged countries to mobilize funding to enable a global system of surveillance, known as Early Warning Systems.

"They give farmers the power to protect their crops and livestock. Enable families to evacuate safely. And protect entire communities from devastation," Guterres said.

Getting notice 24 hours before a hazardous event can reduce damage by up to 30%, he added.

Over 60% of countries have introduced multi-hazard Early Warning Systems since Guterres launched an initiative in 2022 for all countries to have these in place by 2027.

In the past five decades, weather, water and climate-related hazards have killed more than 2 million people, with 90% of those deaths occurring in developing countries, the WMO said on Monday.

Guterres said developing countries were hampered in investing in warning systems by slowing growth and "crushing debt burdens".

He urged countries meeting at next month's U.N. Climate Conference in Brazil to agree a plan to unlock $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.

He also called on countries to deliver bold new national climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.