Early Warning Systems, Protection from Extreme Heat ‘Are Not Luxuries’, Secretary-General Tells Event at Baku Climate Change Conference

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the twenty-ninth UN Climate Change Conference event on delivering early warnings for all and addressing extreme heat, in Baku today:

Welcome.  It is a pleasure to join you today in the home stretch of a brutal year.

2024 has shown climate calamity is now commonplace.  This is on track to be the hottest year in the history books.  It has scorched countries and communities with temperatures that push the limits of human endurance.  And around the world, we’ve seen record rains and hurricanes, historic fires, and deadly droughts.

In this era of climate catastrophe, early warning systems and protection from extreme heat are not luxuries.  They are necessities and sound investments.  Early warning systems provide an almost ten-fold return; standard occupational safety measures responding to extreme heat could save over $360 billion a year.

The United Nations is working to ensure no one is denied these basic protections.  First, in July we launched a Call to Action on Extreme Heat.  This urges international cooperation in four critical areas:  care for the vulnerable; protection of workers; using science and data to boost resilience; and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C — to stop the problem getting unimaginably worse.  Now, we are developing a package of solutions on extreme heat to support countries to act.  I ask them to do so urgently, before the next heatwave strikes.

Second, the Early Warnings for All Initiative is working to ensure every person on Earth is covered by multi-hazard early warning systems by 2027.  I congratulate Governments seizing this opportunity.  And I am grateful for the leadership of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Meteorological Organisation; the International Telecommunication Union, and also the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Initiative is doing fantastic work — changing lives and saving lives.  That includes providing intensive support to thirty countries.  But we have much further to go.  Almost half the world’s countries are not covered by multi-hazard early warning systems.  Too often, the basic data to create these systems is unavailable.  On average, least developed countries and small island developing States have less than 10 per cent of the data they need for effective alert systems.

We must urgently scale-up action.  This requires high-level political support for the Initiative within countries; increased collaboration; a boost in technology support; and a major effort to scale-up finance for early warning systems — particularly for the most vulnerable.

Small island developing States and least developed countries are struggling to secure the funds they need.  We need providers of bilateral and multilateral funds to redouble their efforts, to help cover investment gaps.  We need to encourage private finance, particularly through public-private partnerships.  And we need to simplify access to early warning system finance and to massively increase the sums available.

Increasing the lending capacity of the multilateral development banks is key.  The Pact for the Future agreed in September made important strides forward.  COP29 must build on the momentum and deliver a new climate finance goal that sees a surge in funds for climate action.

I look forward to hearing from you today about your experiences, your plans and your partnerships.  As the climate crisis accelerates, so must we.  Together we can and must protect people around the world. Thank you.