1. Status: In the last 50 years, 79% disasters involved weather, climate, or water-related hazards that accounted for 56% of deaths and 75% of economic losses from disasters associated with natural hazards.
2. Tools: Risk information and early warning system are proven measures for reducing the impacts of these hazards.
3. Requirement: Most countries have identified early warning systems as a top priority. But many lack capacity and financial investment is often lacking in the areas where it is most needed.
4. Data: Only 40% of WMO Member states and Territories have a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System in place. One in three people in countries where data are available are still not adequately covered by early warning.
5. Recommendation: i) Strengthen early warning system in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), ii) Focus on warning communication and preparedness, iii) Ensure sustainable financing of the global observing system that underpins early warnings, iv) Track finance flows in more detail to better understand their effectiveness, v) Document early warning systems’ socio-economic benefits more consistently and vi) Fill data gaps, particularly for Small Island Developing States.
6. Other findings: a) Africa is the region with the bigger gap, b) LDCs generally have biggest capacity gap, especially for warning dissemination and communication, and c)Adaptation finance is still extremely limited, accounting for only 5% of climate finance.
Source: 2020 STATE OF CLIMATE SERVICE, WMO-No. 1252
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