The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has called for early warning systems to address the “new reality” imposed by climate change.
“The last ten years have been the hottest ever recorded in human history. The oceans are experiencing record levels of heat. Devastating wildfires, catastrophic floods, and unprecedented storms: no country is spared from the effects of climate change,” the UN chief stated in his message on the occasion of World Meteorological Day celebrated on March 23.
He pointed out that in this new climate reality, early warning systems are not a luxury, adding that in addition to being essential, they represent wise investments, as the benefits “that arise from them are nearly 10 times greater than the amounts invested.”
However, the UN chief noted that nearly half of the countries on the planet still do not have access to these vital systems, emphasizing that in the digital age, it is deplorable that people lose their lives or see their livelihoods destroyed due to a lack of access to effective early warning systems.
In this context, he indicated that the UN initiative “Early Warnings for All” aims for every inhabitant of the planet to be protected by a warning system by 2027, stressing that the international community must join forces and urgently increase its efforts and investments to achieve this goal.
“It is crucial that every country provides high-level political support for the initiative, that more vigorous support is offered in terms of technology, that governments, businesses, and communities strengthen their cooperation, and that financing sees a real boost,” he said. For him, it is also essential to increase the lending capacity of multilateral development banks.
In the same vein, the UN Secretary-General emphasized the need to redouble efforts to seek to resolve the climate crisis at its source, “by rapidly and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent the situation from worsening to unimaginable proportions.”
“This year, all countries must honor their promise to present new national climate action plans that are compatible with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” he insisted.