In first public statement, new UN weather chief calls to bolster warning systems for extreme weather

The new head of the United Nations weather agency said Tuesday that strengthening early warning systems that monitor when and where extreme weather will happen is a key priority for her administration that will help reduce the risk of natural disasters that are exacerbated by climate change. But only half of the world’s countries have adequate early warning systems, according to a WMO study, causing thousands of deaths in climate disasters in vulnerable regions. Saulo said the WMO, together with other organizations, has identified 30 less developed countries — such as Guyana and Haiti — that are prone to weather hazards to develop early warning systems there. “It is about building resilient communities, especially in the most vulnerable regions, capable of resisting to and recovering from climate-related disasters.” Lack of capacity and funding, including for maintaining weather stations and taking part in global scientific activities, makes changing weather extremes in the Global South poorly understood, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London.