The UN has set a goal that, within five years, all the inhabitants of the Earth will be protected with warning systems that prevent the dangers that rain, tornadoes or cyclones can cause.
The goal is ambitious. Currently, a third of the world’s population does not have any of these warning systems for weather events, which have become even more violent due to climate change.
In Africa, 60% of the population is not covered.
“This situation is unacceptable,” declared the indignant UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, presenting his coverage plan on World Meteorological Day.
“The human-caused climate imbalance is causing damage in all regions of the world,” recalled the diplomat.
“Half of humanity is in danger zones” and “the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will increase as global warming intensifies,” he warned.
The top UN official has asked the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to make an effort and present an action plan by the end of the year, which is due to be presented at the next United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Egypt.
money well invested
The projected cost of the plan will be around US$ 1.5 billion (R$ 7.26 billion). Money well invested, according to the UN, taking into account damage caused by droughts, heavy rains or tornadoes, cyclones and other hurricanes.
The usefulness of these systems has been demonstrated wherever they have been installed, as they allow authorities to better prepare rescue operations, limit potential damage, and allow populations to protect themselves.
“Strengthening forecasting capabilities is helping everyone to develop their ability to act,” Guterres emphasized.
“Rapid warning systems save lives. We will act in a way that all countries benefit from them”, he guaranteed.
For Petteri Taalas, who heads the WMO, the return on investment in such systems is among the highest of all climate change adaptation projects today.
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 the best [sistemas] alert, the number of lives saved almost tripled in the same period, as a result of more effective weather forecasting and active and coordinated disaster management”, emphasizes the statement.
By some estimates, giving 24-hour advance notice of a storm or heat wave reduces damage by nearly a third.
But in Africa, there is a strong contrast to the western part, which is better equipped, as well as coastal countries such as Kenya or Morocco; and the center, which suffer from the data deficit.
“We cannot adapt to what we do not know,” Mohamed Adow, founder of the Power Shift Africa think tank, told AFP in early March.
“How can we create an early warning system for extreme weather events if we don’t have data?” he asked.
