‘Earth is giving us some messages’ – WMO chief

WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo said she is particularly concerned about the melting of glaciers, sea level rise and rising ocean temperatures. He said that this is the reason why we are facing threats of extreme weather like intense floods, heat waves, drought, forest fires. Excerpts from his conversation with UN News. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity… UN News: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has recently confirmed that 2024 is set to be the hottest year ever. So, what climate impacts might we see in the near future, and what will WMO’s priorities be for the coming years? Celeste Saulo: Our first action will be to respond to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call to ensure early warning systems for all to follow. This is an important policy for us in the context of climate adaptation. We have to strengthen the system of issuing early warnings to adapt to the changing climate. WMO is building capacity in countries where the capacity to issue early warnings does not already exist. In line with the broader agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals, WMO’s priority will be to help countries develop in a sustainable manner. In short, early warning, climate action, and the development agenda are our priorities. UN News: How does WMO assess the long-term impacts of climate change in South Asia? What are the biggest challenges facing climate change? Celeste Saulo: South Asia and South-East Asia are among the most vulnerable regions of the world. Because the risks are very high due to the nature and conditions here. There are tropical cyclones and many other dangers in this area. The list is very long. Besides, the population here is also very high. So we have to be prepared for situations that could affect more people. UN News: How can India coordinate its national climate strategies with the UN climate goals? Celeste Saulo: India’s role in climate change and the climate agenda It is a very active country in the matter. Indian Meteorological Department is very strong and developed. I can say that India is very well prepared, but at the same time it is also very much at risk. India is one of the major countries making an impact in this region and is always ready for cooperation. The Government of India is engaged in capacity building, their cyclone center is located in New Delhi. India has several regional systems in place for the benefit of the region. Therefore, the way these countries are aligning their core principles with the United Nations, it is clear that India is working with the aim of leaving no one behind. UN News: Monsoon is very important for Indian agriculture. Is important. How can WMO’s expertise help in increasing agricultural productivity? Celeste Saulo: Meteorology is very strong, providing a link between agricultural sectors and their specific needs, meteorology, meteorological observations and climate information. Climate information is relevant only when a region uses it. For us, for WMO and for weather services and water supply services at the national level, a big challenge is how to work together with stakeholders, because the information that is useful for the agricultural sector is not necessarily the same for transport, Therefore, it is very important to have well developed agrometeorological services that can be useful for fisheries or any other sector. And this capability exists in India. This is a branch of WMO which is very active. In addition, we work closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) because, as you know, agriculture directly affects food security. I believe we are making good progress in this direction. But any progress is never enough, as extreme events and changes continue to affect many activities. We have to find answers to every question coming from every field. © UNICEF/Salahuddin Ahmed Paulash UN News: When we talk about extreme events, early warning systems are important in India, especially for disaster-prone areas. What role can WMO play in strengthening these systems in the context of cyclones and floods? Celeste Saulo: For this I would like to mention the climate initiative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in 2022. This initiative has been named Early Warnings for All. Its objective is to ensure that no one is deprived of the early warning system by 2027. Under this, everyone is included in such an early warning framework, for which UNEP, WMO, ITU and Red Cross have come together. This includes risk understanding (UNEP), monitoring and forecasting (WMO), communication and dissemination (ITU), and then response and preparedness (Red Cross). This is the way we interact at the level of agencies. But we also need to focus locally. Because ultimately, we have to protect people, and people respond to risks in different ways. It’s important to understand what each area needs. What events influence, and how to respond to them. For example, the method of communication may not be the same for Northern India and Central India. So we are actively working with all parties. And in India, coordination between various agencies at the national level is very well established. As WMO, we want to go beyond the 31 target countries to include all countries. Because, ultimately, no one should be deprived of early warning under this initiative. We are seeing that extreme events do not discriminate between developed and developing countries. These are happening everywhere. It is important to be prepared, work together, and adapt the best examples from one country to another, adapting those strategies to local realities. This is part of the agenda of WMO. UN News: What more needs to be done to accelerate action?Celeste Saulo: Raising awareness is at the top of our agenda. And it’s about raising awareness at the institutional level, as well as raising awareness at the individual level. We are discussing with UNESCO about education and work arrangements to prepare children for a world that will be completely different from what we are experiencing today or have experienced in the past. So this It is important to involve the academic community, to involve the health sector. It is about taking action according to each area and its needs. Along with this, work has to be done on mitigation. Apart from this, it is also important to provide all kinds of scientific information to help spread the information. And this is also the role of WMO because there is a cycle of 8 to 9 years between one IPCC assessment and the next assessment. It’s a long time. And WMO is trying to bridge this gap. It is providing annual assessments in terms of climate, climate services and water resources at the global level. UN News: At a time when we are facing so many extreme weather events, whether it is floods, blizzards or wildfires What would be your message to the world? Celeste Saulo: I think the Earth is giving us some messages, and we need to understand it. We need to look beyond individual interests and think about collective interests. We don’t need very hard scientific data – we already have the evidence. We have to understand that this is not a subject written in a book or on paper. This is the reality. People are dying. The infrastructure is collapsing. What more evidence do we need to take action? So my message is this: look at the reality. Understand the responsibility that we all have — as an individual, as a father, as a mother, as part of our community. Do anything. Whatever has to be done, do it immediately.

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