Positive Storytelling to Support Climate Action

Person presenting about an early warning system on a screen with spanish text "sistema de alerta temprana".

Alerting the Nation: How Argentina's Heatwave Warnings Are Saving Lives

A pilot initiative by WMO launched a new series of short documentary films on findings in the annual WMO State of Climate Services report in late 2023 at the United Nation Climate Change Conference (COP28). Since their launch, the findings in the films, which focus on the links between climate and health, have engaged broad audiences. The project, supported financially by Climate Nexus, emphasized teamwork, innovation and partnership in storytelling to connect with new audiences.

The 2023 State of Climate Services report includes an array of international case studies that illustrate the broad application of climate data across sectors. Most notable is their application by healthcare professionals to forecast increasingly severe allergy seasons and by tourism operators to manage heatwaves in peak travel spots. Despite such innovations, the report notes a gap in using climate services within public health. To bridge this, the pilot initiative brought students, experts and creatives together to enrich the 2023 report with human-interest stories that would engage more audiences.

Storytelling fosters connection, trust and openness to new ideas and makes complex information more accessible and memorable than mere data. Recognizing the underappreciated impact and underfunding of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS), the pilot initiative aimed to provide compelling narratives to highlight their value. Research from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the University of Cambridge supported the initiative and helped to identify impactful stories that would showcase the benefits of NMHSs far beyond the project’s timelines and ensure the recognition of their vital role.
The first two films of the series were produced in collaboration with the Meteorological Departments of Argentina and Greece:

Alerting the Nation: How Argentina’s Heatwave Warnings Are Saving Lives

Severe temperatures threaten public health: A documentary on Argentina's successful implementation of the #EarlyWarningsForAll and #HealthForAll United Nations campaigns, showcasing nearly 1 000 extreme heat alerts issued over six months.

Greece: Heatwaves and the City

Collaboration is crucial for effective climate action: A documentary on a mission in Athens that unveiled the synergy between nature-based solutions and early warning systems, tackling the intertwined issues of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

This WMO pilot stands as a testament to the power of creative collaboration. It demonstrates the importance of cooperative efforts and of forging connections to create positive climate narratives that forward meaningful climate action.