BY SINTAYEHU TAMIRAT
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres commended Sunday Ethiopia’s commitment to avail a dedicated national plan adopted from UN’s Early Warning for All System.
Guterres’ remark came as he spoke on a trailblazing “Early Warnings for All Initiative” he launched last year, the Secretary-General reassured the delegates at Sunday’s main event of COP28 Conference saying: “This is an ambitious goal – but it is achievable. To make it a reality, we need all hands-on deck – collaborating and cooperating in a way that has not been done before.”
According to a UN report, Early Warnings for All Initiative aims to protect everyone from hazardous weather, water or climate through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027.
With human-induced climate change leading to more extreme weather conditions, the need for early warning systems is more crucial than ever. Systems that warn people of impending storms, floods or droughts are not a luxury but a cost-effective tool that saves lives, reduces economic losses, and provides a nearly tenfold return on investment.
101 states have so far reported having an early warning system, an increase of six countries compared to last year, and representing a doubling of coverage since 2015.
The same report conversely shows half of countries globally still do not have adequate multi-hazard early warning systems.
In a world defined by “escalating climate injustices,” Guterres said, Early Warnings for All systems are “the most basic tool for saving lives and securing livelihoods”
A more unpleasant fact is that countries that are vulnerable to extreme weather, including the entire African continent, have a rate of protection of well below the global average.
The Secretary-General hence warned of the consequences in strong terms. “Delayed action leads to more extreme weather events. More deaths. More destruction.”
Mentioning promising improvements made over the past year, the Secretary General focused on best practices from several countries.
Ethiopia Laos Maldives, and now have dedicated national action plans, he lauded.
While Benin has strengthened communications to reach communities at greatest risk, “Fiji’s flash flood warning has been expanded to benefit nearly one million people” he indicated.
He highlighted that the estimated cost of bringing everyone under the protection of early warning systems would be around $3 billion, “a tiny fraction of the hundreds of billions made by the fossil fuel industry last year,” according to UN news.