Headlines
UN chief urges countries to implement weather disaster warning systems
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 22, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 22, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
UN chief urges global implementation of weather disaster warning systems to protect against extreme weather impacts.
By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA (Reuters) -U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Wednesday to implement disaster warning systems to protect people against extreme weather, saying no country was safe from the effects of global warming.
"Every one of the last 10 years has been the hottest in history. Ocean heat is breaking records while decimating ecosystems. And no country is safe from fires, floods, storms and heatwaves," he told delegates at a U.N. World Meteorological Organization conference in Geneva marking the agency's 75th year.
Guterres urged countries to mobilize funding to enable a global system of surveillance, known as Early Warning Systems.
"They give farmers the power to protect their crops and livestock. Enable families to evacuate safely. And protect entire communities from devastation," Guterres said.
Getting notice 24 hours before a hazardous event can reduce damage by up to 30%, he added.
Over 60% of countries have introduced multi-hazard Early Warning Systems since Guterres launched an initiative in 2022 for all countries to have these in place by 2027.
In the past five decades, weather, water and climate-related hazards have killed more than 2 million people, with 90% of those deaths occurring in developing countries, the WMO said on Monday.
Guterres said developing countries were hampered in investing in warning systems by slowing growth and "crushing debt burdens".
He urged countries meeting at next month's U.N. Climate Conference in Brazil to agree a plan to unlock $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.
He also called on countries to deliver bold new national climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
(Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Thomas Escritt and Frances Kerry)
Climate finance refers to the financial resources allocated to support mitigation and adaptation efforts to address climate change. This includes funding for renewable energy projects, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure improvements in vulnerable regions.
Early Warning Systems are tools and processes designed to provide timely alerts about hazardous weather events. They help communities prepare for disasters, potentially reducing damage and saving lives by enabling timely evacuations.
Global warming is the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. It leads to climate change, affecting weather patterns and ecosystems.
Disaster management involves the planning and coordination of resources and actions to prevent, respond to, and recover from disasters. This includes preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts to minimize the impact of disasters.
Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems are integrated systems that provide alerts for various types of hazards, such as floods, storms, and heatwaves. They aim to enhance community resilience by delivering timely information to those at risk.
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