The contribution of the WMO to global well-being and security will be highlighted this week at the 80th UN General Assembly.
A high-level solutions dialog on accelerating early warning and extreme heat solutions highlighted the need for increased financing, inclusive partnerships, technological innovation and intentional action to protect vulnerable communities worldwide. The outcomes and recommendations will inform the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on September 24.
Speaking at the event, WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said, “We are here today for one urgent and unifying purpose: solutions. Solutions that turn science into decisions, transform warnings into action, build long-term resilience, and that are based on data sharing and trust.
“We have good news and can report progress. Quite simply, early warnings are saving lives. Early Warnings for All is no longer just an initiative. It is a brand – a global movement.”
The United Nations secretary-general’s Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) initiative aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by 2027. With two years remaining to meet this goal, Saulo stressed the importance of accelerating progress on all fronts.
This is said to require technology to bridge the digital divide, high-level political support, embracing an approach that involves all of society, and prioritizing the most vulnerable sectors of society and the most extreme hazards.
Reported progress
The WMO reported the following developments:
- More than 60% of countries now report having multi-hazard early warning systems, with the least developed countries having doubled capacity since official reporting began;
- Disaster-related mortality is at least six times lower in countries with good early warning systems;
- Just 24 hours’ notice of a hazardous event can reduce damage by up to 30%;
- From 2015-2022, 2.1 billion people were evacuated in advance thanks to early warning systems;
- Heat-health action plans are helping countries prepare and respond, protecting millions of people all over the world.
Extreme heat
The WMO also stressed that more needs to be done to address one of the deadliest hazards: extreme heat.
The organization has found that temperatures above 40°C – even above 50°C – are becoming more common, with cascading effects on health, water and food resources, labor productivity, and energy and transportation systems.
The UN secretary-general’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat has heightened awareness and boosted investment, says the WMO. But more needs to be done across all sectors to accelerate delivery.
The solutions dialog laid out a three-pronged approach: emission reductions and mitigation; redesign of urban centers and facilities; and systemic governance responses, including integrated decision-making, heat action planning and investment informed by hazard science and early warning systems.
According to WHO and WMO estimates, scaling up heat health warning systems in just 57 countries could save nearly 100,000 lives every year.
Moving forward, Saulo called for commitment to three essential actions: scaling up financing for early warning systems; integrating early warning systems into all nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans; and strengthening cross-sector collaboration to reach the last mile to ensure no one is left behind.
The aim of the dialog was to identify concrete, high-impact solutions ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The outcomes will be reported at a Special High-Level Event on Climate Action on September 24, 2025, as a platform for leaders to present their new nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
In related news, the China Meteorological Administration has shared its Global Climate Datasets internationally for the first time