UN Report Cites Increased Frequency and Intensity of Extreme Weather Events to Promote Need for More Early Warning Systems

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the agency within the United Nations that specializes in meteorology, has just published its 2020 State of Climate Services report, which provides information on extreme weather and climate events. One of the biggest takeaways from the report is that weather, water, and climate hazards generate the majority of hazard-related loss and damage. Specifically, between 1970 and 2019, disasters involving these hazards constituted 79 percent of disasters, 56 percent of deaths, and 75 percent of economic losses in all disasters related to natural hazard events. The report also comments on the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the combination of this situation and natural disasters have made for very challenging responses. And it highlights the importance of early warning systems and discusses where and how governments can invest in these to strengthen resilience to natural hazards. “Early warning is critical to saving lives, reducing risk, and increasing resilience, yet 1 in 3 people in the world are not covered by early warning systems,” said Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens, president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation. “In its latest report, the WMO makes crystal clear that this needs urgent redress and early warnings allow for early action, and early action saves lives,” she added. On this, the report highlights some of the progress made in early warning system capacity.