WMO launches early warnings for all action for Africa.

WMO launches early warnings for all action for Africa.

Joel Oladele, Abuja

The World Meteorological Organization(WMO) has launched a new Early Warnings for All Action Plan for Africa as part of its efforts to save lives and livelihoods in the continent.

This was contained in a statement signed in Abuja on Tuesday by the Communications Assistant, Regional Office for North Central and West Africa (NCWA), Sarah Odu.

Odu noted that the action plan was unveiled on the opening day of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on 4 September and it is geared towards providing adequate and timely information to mitigate natural hazards.

“A new Early Warnings for All Action Plan for Africa is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive initiatives ever launched to save lives and livelihoods on a continent which is regularly exposed to extreme weather and which bears a disproportionate socio-economic cost of climate change.

“The primary objective is to make sure that timely and accurate information about natural hazards and impending disasters reaches all segments of African society, particularly the most vulnerable. 

“This answers the call of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres that every person worldwide must be protected by early warning systems by 2027. A number of African countries have been identified for priority action in the global initiative.” Odu noted

She further stated in the statement that despite the fact that Africa contributes a small percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, the continent still suffers from climate change.

“Africa is responsible for only a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions but is suffering disproportionately from climate change. This is harming food security, ecosystems and economies, fueling  displacement and migration and worsening the threat of conflict over dwindling resources, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“The State of the Climate in Africa 2022 report shows that the rate of temperature increase in Africa has accelerated in recent decades, with weather- and climate-related hazards becoming more severe. And yet financing for climate adaptation is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed.” She said.