A five-year proposal to develop a global early warning system for expensive and deadly extreme weather events intensified by climate change was unveiled by the UN on Monday.
According to Antonio Guterres, the head of the United Nations, the cost of $3.1 billion, or less than 50 cents per person, is a tiny price to pay for techniques that have been proved to save thousands, if not millions, of lives.
He made the statement as world leaders met in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort on the Red Sea, for the 13-day meetings. “I have called for early warning systems to protect every person on Earth within five years, with a priority to support the most vulnerable first,” he added.
Even as the frequency of climate-related extreme weather increases, half of the world’s nations lack sophisticated early warning systems that could save lives.
According to the U.N., countries with weak infrastructure experience eight times more disaster-related deaths than those with effective safeguards.
Planning that minimises negative effects is made possible by effective early warning systems for catastrophes like cyclones, heatwaves, droughts, floods, and other calamities.
And it works: over the past 20 years, the number of individuals affected by disasters has nearly doubled, but the number of fatalities and unaccounted-for deaths has decreased by 50%.
Since Cyclone Bhola killed hundreds of thousands of people when it struck what is now Bangladesh in 1970, Bangladesh, which was created the following year, has invested in weather forecasting technology, shelters and a network of volunteers along the coast.
In the same region in 2020, a Cyclone Amphan of comparable strength made landfall and caused just 26 fatalities.
Petteri Taalas, director-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said in a statement that “early warnings save lives and give significant economic benefits.”
“An impending hazardous occurrence can reduce the resulting harm by 30% with just 24 hours’ notice.”
According to the Global Commission on Adaptation, developing nations may save anywhere between $3 and $16 billion annually by investing just $800 million in such systems.
A comprehensive early warning system must include scientifically grounded observation networks, forecasting technology, community-based reaction capabilities, and mechanisms to quickly educate a population.
