Countries on frontline of climate change expand early warning protection but progress insufficient
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – More lives are being protected from extreme weather and dangerous climate change impacts but there is a long way to go. Half of countries globally still do not have adequate multi-hazard early warning systems.
A new report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) finds that Africa has doubled the quality of early warning systems coverage, but still falls below the global average. Less than half of the Least Developed Countries and only 40% of small island developing States have a multi-hazard early warning system. In the Arab States, risk knowledge to underpin early warning systems was found to be particularly low.
The report, the 2023 Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, analyses the latest data one year into the Early Warnings for All Initiative which aims to cover everyone everywhere by 2027.
It was launched at COP28 by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at a high-level event attended by ministers and stakeholders. The report reveals that 101 countries have reported having an early warning system, an increase of six countries compared to last year, and representing a doubling of coverage since 2015.