SCALING INNOVATION TO CLOSE THE GLOBAL EARLY WARNING GAP WMO’s annual State of the Climate reports provide authoritative updates that inform international negotiations and public awareness. Many countries now integrate climate services into their nationally determined contributions, national adaptation plans and disaster risk management frameworks. National meteorological and hydro- logical services, supported through WMO coordination, are delivering more accurate forecasts and warnings than ever before – and artificial intelligence offers developing countries with limited computing capacity the chance to leap- frog to more sophisticated forecasting capabilities. Yet challenges remain. One-third of the world’s population still lacks access to adequate early warnings, concen- trated in the least developed and most vulnerable regions. Observation gaps – particularly in Africa and small island states – threaten the accuracy of global climate monitoring. Financing for both infrastructure and capacity for service delivery remains insufficient, especially to sustain opera- tions in the long term. To fully realise their potential, national meteorological and hydrolog- ical services must be empowered with stronger institutional mandates, ade- quate funding and leadership strategies that reposition them as central actors in national climate policy planning and finance mobilisation. A CRITICAL MOMENT FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE G20 leaders gathering in Johannesburg have both the responsibility and the opportunity to set the tone for global climate leadership. This requires com- mitting to deeper mitigation and also ensuring that developing countries are able to access and leverage climate finance effectively. One of the most effective steps they can take is to strengthen national meteorological and hydrological ser- vices, by endorsing their central role in providing the scientific information and support that underpin transform- ative, well-financed climate action. Above all, the G20 must demon- strate that cooperation, capacity building and solidarity are the hall- marks of leadership.
stations, ships and ocean buoys, aircraft and satellites – to provide the reliable forecasts that society so depends on. No one country can do this alone and global collaboration – fostered by WMO – is key. But there are big gaps in the basic global observing system. We are work- ing to increase capacity and close those gaps. Any lack of observations and forecasts in least developed coun- tries and small island developing states affects the quality of forecasts in other parts of the world. WMO is driving progress in adap- tation and resilience. The Early Warnings for All initiative seeks to ensure that everyone is protected by life-saving alerts by 2027. Key financ- ing and capacity-support mechanisms for delivering on this ambitious ini- tiative include the Systematic Observations Financing Facility and the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems. At the bedrock of this action are the national meteorological and hydrolog- ical services of WMO’s 193 members, which deliver daily forecasts, seasonal outlooks and tailored climate infor- mation to support agriculture and food security, disaster risk reduction, water and energy management, and health. WMO’s role is to equip these ser- vices with standards, open data access and capacity development so that they can meet rising expectations from governments, sectors and citizens. National meteorological and hydro- logical services must be empowered to provide the data, information and analysis for evidence-based climate action.
// CELESTE SAULO Celeste Saulo took office as secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization in January 2024. She previously served as director of Argentina’s National Meteorological Service since 2014 and was the first vice-president of the WMO. She has been a member of the WMO World Weather Research Programme Scientific Steering Committee since 2011 and has served on various WMO panels related to her field of knowledge. She is a professor in atmospheric sciences at the University of Buenos Aires and research scientist at Argentina’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Research.
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