There are big gaps in the data that governments rely on to make decisions to mitigate the effects of climate change, according to the latest report by the UN body World Meteorological Organization (WMO), released on Thursday.

Climate data includes information about rainfall, drought, sea level rise, storm surges, and cyclones, as well as the impacts of these on vulnerable communities.

This data can help policymakers issue advance warnings to limit deaths and economic damage, as well as effectively distribute their resources to those most in need.

Around a third of countries’ National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) provide climate services at an ‘essential’ level, and nearly one-third at an ‘advanced’ or ‘full’ level, according to the report. But there are still many countries that only provide basic level of climate services or none. This is a long way off from the UN’s target of all countries to have access to a full range of climate services by 2027.

The report added that while countries in Asia and Africa in particular have made strides in boosting their capacity, gaps persist.

Big gaps in Asia, Africa 

The WMO reports say there have been improvements in capacity in regions like Asia and Africa but more needs to be done. Latin America and the Caribbean, for instance, face a growing need for early warning services to deal with hazards such as forest fires and droughts.

“We need to make the necessary investments for a sustainable future. The cost of no action is several times higher than the cost of action,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

Too few nations are creating tailored climate services for their citizens, and there are still significant gaps, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the report found.

Deaths from extreme weather events like storms and floods have also surged, as have the economic losses. Some deaths are not even recorded due to low levels of death registrations, especially in low- and middle-income countries making the toll a likely underestimate.

And so the UN has reiterated that a portion of this impact can be mitigated with timely warnings well in time.

Rising need for climate services

There is a growing awareness of the importance of climate services from countries as well as the funding these services.

Over 80% of the 58 countries that have submitted national adaptation plans to UNFCCC, the UN process for negotiating an agreement to limit dangerous climate change, recognized the importance of climate services as part of their national adaptation strategies.

The WMO analysis shows that the services being provided to national governments, agriculture and emergency planning and response are in highest demand.

The European Union’s Earth observation programme, Copernicus, released a report on Wednesday noting that 2024 is “virtually certain” to be the warmest year on record – with the average global temperature rise being 1.55°C above the pre-industrial era.

The 2015 Paris Agreement commits global leaders to contain the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. A warmer world means more frequent and more intense extreme weather events as well as their intensity.

Investments in climate services

Of the $63 billion being spent on climate adaptation, nearly a third goes towards climate-informed investments. Of this, only about $4 to $5 billion goes to explicitly supporting climate services and early warning activities, according to the report.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been pushing countries to invest in early warning systems to respond better to extreme weather events. The UN has also launched an initiative called ‘Early Warning Systems for All’ that has set a target to provide the full range of life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027 for everyone.

Other stakeholders have already begun taking a lead from the UN. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released its report in August this year that looked at the state of climate data in Asia. Of the 29 countries in the Asia and the Pacific region that were assessed, only 17 covered climate data in some form.

Experts from the ADB reiterated the need to go a step further and combine climate data with other socio-economic parameters like poverty and unemployment levels to identify the most vulnerable populations so they can be helped in the aftermath of the extreme weather events.

WMO has flagged regional cooperation as a key enabler for the successful development and delivery of climate services

“In the face of unprecedented environmental challenges, the development, delivery, and use of climate information to enable climate action has never been more crucial,” Saulo of WMO said.

“On our journey towards sustainable development, we need to do more to turn climate science and climate information into actionable services, to make climate services more accessible and to use them more effectively,” she added.

Image Credits: WMO 2024 Calendar Competition – Winner – Muhammad Amdad Hossain, WMO.