Summit Efforts to Tackle Climate Crisis Gain Urgency

The recent spate of natural disasters worldwide, including floods in Libya, Greece, and Spain, as well as wildfires in Hawaii and Canada, has further underscored the pressing need for early warning systems to help the world cope with the climate emergency. Spain’s environment minister, Teresa Ribera, emphasized the importance of these systems as she prepared to travel to New York to participate in the UN’s climate ambition summit and sign a landmark treaty to protect the high seas.

Ribera, who also serves as a deputy prime minister in Spain’s socialist-led caretaker government, urged those attending the summit to heed the UN secretary general’s calls for life-saving early warning systems to be implemented across the world over the next four years. According to experts, harnessing cellular networks to deliver early warnings of impending disasters has the potential to save lives and significantly reduce damage.

A UN report last year found that countries with substantial early warning systems in place had a significantly lower disaster mortality rate compared to those with limited coverage. Moreover, a report from the Global Center for Adaptation found that providing 24 hours’ notice of storms or heatwaves could reduce damage by 30%, while spending $800 million on such systems in developing countries would avoid $3 billion to $16 billion in losses annually.

Ribera pointed out that even rich countries with advanced institutional development, such as the US, Hawaii, and Canada, have been affected by natural disasters, often requiring evacuations. She highlighted the importance of early warning systems in countries with less institutional capacity, citing the recent floods in Greece and Spain as well as the wildfires in Libya.

The use of mobile phone alert systems was successfully demonstrated during the recent flood in Madrid, where authorities sent a loud alarm and text message to alert residents to stay indoors. Ribera emphasized the importance of continued efforts to push for action, despite the complexities caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The minister stressed that it is vital to maintain the transition away from fossil fuels in order to meet the goals set out in the 2015 Paris agreement, as global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 at the latest and then be rapidly reduced to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, current emissions are still rising.

Ribera highlighted the “rapidly narrowing window” for governments to take action and referenced a recent UN report, which found that the planet’s most critical ecosystems are under intense pressure due to climate change. She emphasized that instead of pointing fingers, countries must come together to act jointly and meaningfully to meet the Paris agreement targets as quickly as possible.

The signing of the high seas treaty, a historic agreement on seemingly intractable issues, serves as proof that the international community can reach significant agreements on global issues. Ribera hailed the treaty as a commitment by the international community designed to avoid the destruction of marine biodiversity, which is essential for ecosystem services and unknown benefits. The signing of the treaty at UN headquarters is symbolic, demonstrating how efforts to protect global assets, such as the ocean, can be motors for international cooperation and progress.