Local weather-related hazards have killed greater than 2 million folks in 50 years, mentioned the UN’s meteorological company, 90 p.c of them in creating international locations.
Printed On 20 Oct 2025
Almost half of all international locations lack early-warning methods for excessive climate occasions, leaving hundreds of thousands – particularly these in creating nations – weak.
Because it launched a brand new report on Monday, the UN’s World Meteorological Group (WMO) known as for gaps in international monitoring and forecasting networks to be plugged. Well timed alerts are essential to saving lives as excessive climate occasions multiply because of local weather change, it warned.
“Many hundreds of thousands of individuals lack safety towards harmful climate, which is inflicting an rising toll on financial property and important infrastructure,” mentioned a press release by the WMO, noting that disaster-related deaths are six instances greater in international locations with out early-warning methods.
The organisation mentioned climate, water and climate-related hazards have killed greater than 2 million folks previously 50 years. It added that 90 p.c of these deaths occurred in creating international locations.
“Impacts are spiralling as climate turns into extra excessive,” it mentioned.
‘Worst in conflict-affected contexts’
The WMO acknowledged that there was “large progress” in local weather monitoring during the last decade. The variety of international locations utilizing some type of multi-hazard early warning methods has jumped from 52 to not less than 108.
Nevertheless, it continued, an evaluation of 62 international locations confirmed half of them possess solely primary capability and 16 p.c have lower than primary capability.
“The scenario is worst in fragile, battle and violence-affected contexts,” the organisation mentioned.
Nonetheless, the WMO is seeing progress in Africa, with extra international locations having functioning web sites and issuing standardised alerts.
“Early warning means early motion. Our purpose is to not solely warn the world; it’s to empower it,” WMO Secretary-Normal Celeste Saulo mentioned in a speech because the UN establishment opened its annual convention in Geneva on Monday.
The world has been rocked by quite a few weather-related disasters in 2025. Big flooding has rocked international locations together with Pakistan, Nigeria and South Korea. Wildfires have devastated giant areas in southern Europe, in addition to the US.
The pinnacle of Switzerland’s Federal Division of House Affairs, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, advised delegates on the convention that no nation or area was spared from the consequences of local weather change and excessive climate.
She pointed to the instance of how the common monitoring of a mountain glacier allowed scientists to warn about its imminent collapse in Might 2025, permitting for the evacuation of the Swiss village of Blatten.
“Permafrost soften will inevitably result in extra glacier collapses and rockfalls,” making early warning methods important, she mentioned.
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