Sagar Kulkarni & Gaurav Saini
NEW DELHI, 17 Jan: Extreme weather events, which present a long-term risk across the globe, are becoming more intense and difficult to forecast in a rapidly warming world despite scientific advances, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Chief Celeste Saulo said.
She refused to attribute individual events such as the wildfires in Los Angeles to climate change but said they have “many ingredients” directly linked to climate change.
In an interview with PTI, Saulo said that the WMO and governments across the world are doing their best to improve the quality of forecasts, but the efforts are not enough, considering the unprecedented rate of warming.
“We now have better forecasts, and many examples show how early warnings have saved lives and property. But extreme events are becoming so intense and unusual that they are more challenging to predict,” said Saulo, the first woman to hold the post of WMO chief.
“Science is advancing, and we are improving our understanding. Still, extreme events require extreme actions,” she said.
Saulo said that climate change is leading to severe droughts worldwide, creating the perfect conditions for wildfires when combined with strong winds, dry vegetation, and extremely arid land.
“For any individual event to be attributed to climate change, a scientific assessment is required. However, we can say that many ingredients for these events are directly linked to climate change,” she added.
Saulo said disasters such as the Los Angeles wildfires are the result of “our own activities.”
“If we build cities where we shouldn’t be building cities, we disrupt natural mechanisms that maintain balance, which leads to disasters,” she said.
Asked if the WMO would be able to implement the ‘Early warnings for all’ initiative by 2027, given the geopolitical uncertainties, Saulo said every dollar invested in early warning yields a tenfold return.
“And this is at the global scale. In places like Africa, this return on investment rises to 1 to 19,” she said.
In 2022, the United Nations had launched the ‘Early warnings for all’ initiative to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through lifesaving early warning systems by the end of 2027.
“The climate crisis demands a collective, ‘whole-of-society’ approach, reaching across sectors and disciplines. Broadening the tent is not just about involving more actors; it’s about empowering everyone to champion early warning systems as a core priority,” Saulo said.
The WMO chief said there is a need to put the role of meteorological services on agenda in the decision-making processes that impacts the economy and the sustainability of the economy of every single country.
“If you don’t use weather information in your decision-making process, you lose the opportunity to get the best out of your business,” Saulo said. (PTI)