UN chief urges weather disaster warning systems

United Nations Antonio Guterres said no country is safe from the effects of global warming and called on countries to implement disaster warning systems to protect people against extreme weather conditions.

“Each of the last ten years has been the hottest in history. Ocean heat is breaking records as it destroys ecosystems. And no country is safe from fires, floods, storms and heatwaves,” he told delegates at an extraordinary conference in Geneva to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UN World Meteorological Organisation.

Guterres called on countries to mobilize funds to activate a global surveillance system known as Early Warning Systems.

“They empower farmers to protect their crops and animals. They ensure the safe evacuation of families and protect entire communities from destruction,” Guterres said.

He added that being notified 24 hours before a dangerous event can reduce damage by up to 30 percent.

More than 60 percent of countries have implemented multi-hazard Early Warning Systems since Guterres launched an initiative in 2022 that aims to have all countries implement such systems by 2027.

Air, water and climate-related hazards have killed more than two million people in the past five decades, with 90 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries, the WMO said on Monday.

Guterres said developing countries were being prevented from investing in warning systems by slowing growth and “crushing their debt burdens”.

He called on countries meeting at the UN Climate Conference in Brazil next month to agree on a plan to unlock US$1.3 trillion ($A2 trillion) annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.

He also called on countries to prepare bold new climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C over the next decade.