The UN plans to extend weather warning systems to everyone on the planet

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The United Nations wants to make sure every person on the planet gets warnings about bad weather. In an announcement this week, it set a goal of hitting that target within five years. Climate change makes extreme weather worse and early warning systems are needed to save lives.

Technology to forecast dangerous weather systems and the ability to share those forecasts with the public are included in such systems. According to the World Meteorological Organization, one in three people are not protected by early warning systems.

The UN Secretary-General said in a video statement for World Meteorological Day that this is unacceptable, particularly with climate impacts sure to get even worse. More extreme storms, floods, heatwaves, and fire seasons are more likely when a tenth of a degree of global warming is present.

The planet is already seeing some devastating changes. Over the past 50 years, the number of recorded climate, weather, or water-related disasters has risen by a factor of five. During that time period, a disaster has cost 115 lives and caused $202 million in damages each day.

Many people who lack early warning systems live in places that are vulnerable to the climate crisis. In small island developing states, rising sea levels can make flooding and storm surge more dangerous. In Africa, 60 percent of the population is not covered by early warnings.

In countries where the need for early warning systems is greatest, the WMO called for an investment of over a billion dollars over the next five years. The agency thinks it will get a big return on that investment. The agency says that every $800 million spent on such systems helps to avoid up to $16 billion in damages each year in developing nations. Beyond giving people more time to prepare and find shelter, forecasters can even predict the path of a storm and which communities might need the most help.

Over the past fifty years, the benefits can be seen in lives saved. The number of deaths associated with weather and climate-related disasters dropped three-fold thanks to more accurate weather forecasting.

The early warning systems in Bangladesh helped to prevent thousands of deaths during storms. In 1991, 138,000 people were killed by a storm there. The way that information was shared improved weather forecasting. Disaster management committees and councils were established in Bangladesh. There were less than 20 people who died in Bangladesh in the year 2019.

The WMO was tasked by the United Nations to put together a plan for planetary coverage this year. The next major climate conference will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November, and will be presented by the WMO.

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