United Nations Sets 5-year Goal to Broaden Climate Early Warning Systems

The United Nations set new project to make available to every person on earth an early weather-warning system within five years. The project with the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization aims to make the alert systems already used by many rich countries available to the developing world.

The reason for the new project is there has been an increase in natural disasters. Not only have they become more frequent, but they have become more powerful.

Its aim is to boost the prediction of natural disasters for everyone giving them the capacity to respond appropriately. Early warning systems allow for the monitoring of real-time atmospheric conditions at sea and on land as a way of predicting upcoming weather events no matter one’s location on the earth.

According to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “one-third of the world’s people, mainly in least-developed countries and small island developing states, are still not covered by early warning systems. In Africa, it is even worse: 60% of people lack coverage.”

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a Nairobi-based think tank, said it was “great” that people in Africa would be getting protection from an early warning system but that the work shouldn’t stop there. He says more than the prevention of deaths should be done.

Source: BCNN1