On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction i.e. on October 13, 2020, the “State of Climate Services 2020 Report: Move from Early Warnings to Early Action” released by United Nations World Meteorological Organization (UN-WMO) which is produced by 16 international agencies and financing institutions.
- In accordance with the report, over the past 50 years, more than 11,000 disasters caused by weather, climate and water-related hazards, resulting in 2 million deaths and US$ 3.6 trillion in economic losses.
- Notably, the September month was the warmest of 2020 in accordance with the United States (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Also, the period between 2016-2020 had been the warmest on record.
Key Points from Report:
-The number of people that require humanitarian assistance will increase by 50% from 108 million people in 2018 which will cost 20 billion USD per year.
-The average number of deaths in the last 50 years has decreased by 50 years.
-Only 40% of WMO members (138) have Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) which means globally on average one in three people is still not covered by early warnings.
-Between 1970 and 2019, 79% of disasters worldwide involved weather, water, and climate-related hazards.
-The situation is severe in small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs). Since 1970, SIDS have lost US$ 153 billion due to weather, climate and water related hazards while 1.4 million people (70% of the total deaths) in LDCs lost their lives.
Recommendations:
The report has outlined six key recommendations to improve the implementation Early Warning Systems (EWS), globally:
- Investment in EWS particularly in African LDCs and SIDS.
- Focus investment on turning early warning information into early action.
- Ensure sustainable financing for early warnings.
- Tracking of finance flows
- Development of more consistency in monitoring and evaluation of EWS.
- Fill the data gaps, particularly in SIDS.
Recent Related News:
- On September 1, 2020, a report “Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Food Systems” published by World Wide Fund (WWF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), non-profit organization EAT & think tank Climate Focus based on strengthening food systems in the age of climate crisis.
- ii. On September 10, 2020, the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Forum (HLF) on the Culture of Peace which was convened by its President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and addressed by UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres on the theme “The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of Covid-19”.
About World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
Secretary-General– Professor Petteri Taalas
Headquarter– Geneva, Switzerland
