WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said she was particularly concerned about melting glaciers, rising sea levels and rising ocean temperatures.
He said that this is why we are facing extreme weather threats like severe floods, heat waves, droughts, forest fires.
Excerpts from his conversation with UN News. This is the interview Edited for clarity and brevity…
UN News: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently confirmed that 2024 will be the warmest year ever. So, what climate impacts will we see in the near future and what will WMO’s priorities be for the coming years?
Celeste Saulo: Our first step will be to follow UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call to ensure early warning measures for all. This is an important principle for us in the context of climate adaptation. Early warning systems need to be strengthened to adapt to a changing climate.
WMO is building capacity in countries that do not have early warning capabilities. In line with the broader agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals, WMO’s priority will be to support countries to 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 of climate change?
Celeste Saulo: South Asia and Southeast Asia are among the most vulnerable regions in the world. Because the nature and conditions here are very risky. The area is prone to tropical cyclones and many other hazards. The list is long. Besides, the population here is also very high. Therefore, we need to be prepared for situations that may affect more people.
UN News: How can India integrate its national climate strategies with UN climate goals?
Celeste Saulo: India is a very active country in terms of climate and climate agenda. Indian Meteorological Department is very strong and developed. I can say that India is very well prepared, but at the same time it has a lot of risks.
India is one of the major influencing countries in the region and is always ready for cooperation. The Government of India is engaged in capacity building, with their Cyclone Center located in New Delhi. India has several regional arrangements for the benefit of the region. So, the way these countries are aligning their core principles with the UN, it is clear that India is working towards the goal of leaving no one behind.
UN News: Monsoon is very important for Indian agriculture. In such a situation, how can WMO’s expertise be helpful in increasing agricultural productivity?
Celeste Saulo: Meteorology is very powerful, serving as a link between the agricultural sector and their specific needs, weather, weather monitoring and weather information.
Climate data is only relevant if a region uses it. For us, at WMO and for meteorological services and water supply services at the national level, a big challenge is how to work together with stakeholders, because information that is useful for the agricultural sector is not necessarily for transport, it can also be. Useful for fishing, or any other field.
Therefore, it is very important to have a well-developed agrometeorological service. And this capability exists in India. It is a branch of WMO that 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 am confident that we are making good progress in this direction. But no progress is ever enough, as extreme events and changes affect many activities. Each question from each field should be answered.
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 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ climate initiative in 2022. The initiative is named Advance Warning for All. It aims to ensure that no person is deprived of early warning systems by 2027.
Under this, all are involved in an early warning framework for which UNEP, WMO, ITU and the Red Cross have come together. These include risk understanding (UNEP), monitoring and forecasting (WMO), communication and dissemination (ITU), and then response and preparedness (Red Cross).
This is our way of participating at the agency level. But we also have to focus locally… because ultimately, we have to protect people, and people respond to risk in different ways.
It is important to understand what events affect each area and how to respond to them. For example, the mode of communication may not be the same for North India and Central India.
So we are actively working with all parties. And in India, coordination between different organizations at the national level is very well established.
As WMO, we want to go beyond 31 target countries to include all countries. Because, in the end, no one should be deprived of advance warning under this initiative.
We see that extreme events do not discriminate between developed and developing countries. They are happening everywhere. It is important to adapt those strategies to local realities, to be prepared, to work together and to adapt best examples from one country to another. It is part of WMO’s agenda.
UN News: What else needs to be done to speed up the 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 UNESCO’s education and work arrangements so that we can prepare children for a world that will be completely different from the one we experience today or have experienced in the past.
So it is important to involve the academic community and the health sector. It is about taking action according to the needs and requirements of each area. In addition to this, mitigation should also be done.
In addition, it is also important to provide all kinds of scientific information to help spread the word. And this is also the role of WMO because there is a cycle of 8 to 9 years between an IPCC assessment and the next assessment. It’s a long time. And WMO is trying to bridge this gap. It is providing annual assessments of global climate, climate services and water resources.
UN News: At a time when we are experiencing so many extreme weather events, be it floods, blizzards or wildfires, what would be your message to the world?
Celeste Saulo: I think the world is sending us some messages, and we need to understand them. Go beyond individual interests and think about collective interests.
We don’t need very hard scientific facts — we already have the evidence. We must understand that this is not a matter written in a book or paper. This is the reality. People are dying. Infrastructure is collapsing. What more evidence do we need to take action?
So my message is this: look at reality. Understand the responsibilities we all have as individuals, as fathers, as mothers, as part of our community. do anything Whatever needs to be done, do it immediately.