UN wants global early warning network against meteorological catastrophes in 5 years

The UN has set itself the goal that, within five years, all inhabitants of the Earth will be protected with early warning systems that warn of the dangers that torrential rains, tornadoes or cyclones may pose, for example.

The goal is ambitious. One third of the world's population currently lacks any of these weather warning systems, which have become even more violent as a result of climate change.

In Africa, 60 per cent of the population is not covered.

“This situation is unacceptable,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said indignantly when presenting his coverage plan on the occasion of World Meteorological Day.

“The human-made climate mismatch is causing damage in all regions of the world,” recalled the official.

“Half of humanity is in the danger zone” and “the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will increase as global warming accentuates,” he predicted.

Thus, the head of the UN asked the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to make an effort and present an action plan by the end of the year, on the occasion of the next United Nations Conference on Climate Change, in Egypt.

- Money well spent -

The planned cost of the plan will be around $1.5 billion. Money well spent, according to the UN, taking into account the damage caused by droughts, torrential rains or tornadoes, cyclones and other hurricanes.

The usefulness of such systems has been demonstrated everywhere they have been installed, as they allow authorities to better prepare rescue operations, limit possible damage and allow populations to take refuge.

“Strengthening foresight capacities is helping everyone develop their capacity for action,” Guterres stressed.

“Early warning systems save lives. Let's act so that all countries benefit from them,” he added.

For Petteri Taalas, who heads WMO, the return on investment in such systems is among the highest of all climate change adaptation projects currently being used.

- Lack of data in Africa -

According to a WMO statement, the number of recorded disasters increased fivefold between 1970 and 2019, due to climate change and the increasing number of extreme weather events.

But “thanks to better warning [systems], the number of lives lost was almost divided by three in the same period, as a result of more effective weather forecasts and active and coordinated disaster management,” the statement stressed.

According to some estimates, giving 24 hours notice of the arrival of a storm or heat wave can reduce damage by almost a third.

But in Africa, there is a sharp contrast between the western part, which is better equipped, as well as coastal states such as Kenya or Morocco; and the center, which suffers from a data deficit.

“We can't adapt to what we don't know,” Mohamed Adow, founder of the ideas cabinet Power Shift Africa, told AFP in early March.

“How to create an early warning system for extreme weather events if we don't have data?” , he wondered.

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