Climate, weather, and water-related hazards have killed more than 2 million people and caused an estimated US$4.3 trillion in economic losses between 1970 and 2021, according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The figures were published in observance of World Meteorological Day, marked each year on March 23, and come amid growing concerns over the impact of worsening climate extremes.
This year’s theme — Closing the Early Warning Gap Together — highlights the urgent need to expand access to life-saving forecast and alert systems worldwide.
“It is disgraceful that, in a digital age, lives and livelihoods are being lost because people have no access to effective early warning systems,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a message. “Early warnings are not luxuries. They are necessities and sound investments — providing an almost tenfold return.”
Despite scientific advances and improved forecasting technologies, the WMO said there is a major disparity in early warning access, with nearly half of all countries lacking comprehensive systems — especially in low-income and climate-vulnerable nations.
While death tolls have declined, thanks to better alerts and preparedness, economic losses continue to climb, the report noted.
The damage includes everything from destroyed infrastructure and housing to agricultural collapse, particularly in developing regions with limited adaptation capacity.
In 2024, the planet saw record-breaking temperatures, driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, warming oceans, and a strong El Niño effect.
WMO scientists also reported faster sea level rise, accelerating glacier retreat, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, wildfires, and tropical cyclones.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the organisation has played a vital role in global disaster risk reduction through data exchange and coordinated forecasting. “We’ve saved hundreds of thousands of lives and billions in potential losses over the last 75 years,” she said. “But many still remain outside the safety net.”
The WMO and UN are now halfway through their Early Warnings for All initiative — launched to ensure that every person on the planet is protected by a warning system by 2027.
So far, 108 countries report having some form of multi-hazard early warning system, up from 52 in 2015.
Still, the agency says more work is needed.
“We need high-level political support, stronger collaboration between governments and communities, a boost in technology transfer, and a significant scale-up in finance,” Guterres said. “Increasing the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks is key.”
The WMO also stressed the transformative role that artificial intelligence and advanced climate modelling can play — provided these technologies are shared equitably across regions.
“Staff at National Meteorological and Hydrological Services are like frontline health workers,” said Saulo. “They work 24/7 to safeguard public well-being. The WMO helps make the world safer, more secure, and more prosperous.”
World Meteorological Day commemorates the establishment of the WMO as a United Nations specialised agency in 1950. This year marked the agency’s 75th anniversary.
