The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
WMO Press Conference: 'United in Science' 2024 report - 18 September 2024
Climate crisis: New technologies offer hope for global action, says UN weather agency
Amid renewed warnings from leading climate scientists that global warming could reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels this century, the head of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted on Wednesday that new technologies and AI offer the opportunity to implement the drastic action needed to resist the existential crisis.
“The science is clear: we are far off track from achieving global climate goals,” said Celeste Saulo, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, she noted that 2023 was the warmest year on record “by a huge margin. Leading international data sets say that the first eight months of 2024 are also the warmest on record.”
Ms. Saulo’s warning coincided with the publication of the latest multi-agency United in Science annual report. Its release comes as huge wildfires rage across Latin America and Portugal, while central European countries battle deadly flooding in the wake of Storm Boris, with Italy now on high alert following mass evacuations in Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Romania.
Despite progress made in mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions, “the emissions gap remains high”, the WMO-partnered report notes. It further warns that if there is no change to current policies, there is a 66 per cent probability that global warming will reach 3°C this century.
Despite the troubling clarity of science, the report offers grounds for hope. “When the Paris Agreement was adopted, greenhouse gas emissions were projected to increase by 16 per cent by 2030, relatively to 2015,” explained the WMO chief. “Now, that projected increase is three per cent. So, progress has been made, but we need to be much more ambitious. The gap between aspiration and reality is a glaring one.”
New technologies and innovation are potential game-changers
In a call for global and urgent action coinciding with the upcoming Summit of the Future at UN headquarters in New York on 22-23 September, the UN weather agency underscored the untapped potential of natural and social sciences, new technology and innovation to help countries develop, reduce their vulnerability to disaster and adapt to climate change.
Space-based Earth observations are part of the solutions highlighted in the report, as they are crucial for effective weather forecasting, climate prediction and environmental monitoring. “Satellites are improving our ability to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, which is crucial for informing our efforts to mitigate emissions and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement,” explained Lauren Stuart, scientific coordinator at WMO.
Another example is “immersive technologies, which are bridging the digital and the physical worlds. And an example of this is what we call ‘digital twins’, which is basically a digital replication of the Earth.” Digital twins create a virtual real-world system to simulate how reality would respond in any given situation. The metaverse gather virtual worlds into an “integrative system” that provides immersive experiences from simulating flood and drought events to predicting water flow and impacts on land. These technologies enable experts to take decisions towards achieving the universally agreed Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Saulo insisted that technology alone will not be enough to solve climate change and disaster risk reduction as she urged all countries to share their expertise and experiences at the Summit of the Future. “I do trust in governments. I do trust in multilateralism. I do trust in the Summit of the Future and how this will help us address, use the technology for the better while controlling the negative impacts of technology,” she emphasized.
The UN weather agency chief underscored the need for a “transdisciplinary approach”, where a diversity of actors including scientists, policymakers, indigenous communities and civil society groups create solutions together. “Science should not be kept in a box for a few of us. Science should be the driving mechanism all around the world to really transform and give more opportunities for the generations to come.”
Ends.
Story: “'United in Science' report - WMO” – 18 September 2024
Speakers:
- Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
- Lauren Stuart, scientific coordinator at the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
TRT: 02’26”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 18 September 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
- Wide shot of the press conference room with speakers at the podium.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The science is clear: we are far off track from achieving global climate goals. 2023 was the warmest year on record by a huge margin. Leading international data sets say that the first eight months of 2024 are also the warmest on record.”
- Medium shot of the podium with speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General: “When the Paris Agreement was adopted, greenhouse gas emissions were projected to increase by 16 per cent by 2030 relatively to 2015. Now, that projected increase is three per cent. So, progress has been made, but we need to be much more ambitious. The gap between aspiration and reality is a glaring one.”
- Medium shot of the speakers from the back and press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Stuart, scientific coordinator at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “Satellites are improving our ability to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, which is crucial for informing our efforts to mitigate emissions and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Another example we highlight is immersive technologies, which are really bridging the digital and the physical worlds. And an example of this is what we call ‘digital twins’, which is basically a digital replication of the earth.”
- Wide lateral shot: journalists at the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General: “I do trust in governments. I do trust in multilateralism. I do trust in the Summit of the Future and how this will help us address, use the technology for the better while controlling the negative impacts of technology.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General: “Science should not be kept in a box for a few of us. Science should be the driving mechanism all around the world to really transform and give more opportunities for the generations to come.”
- Various shots of the press conference room with journalists taking notes and cameraperson.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Volker Türk the UN Human Rights High Commissioner made the following remarks during and Oral update tothe Human Rights Council intersessional meeting on Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
New flu variant is surging, but vaccination still our best bet - WHO
Amid an early start to the Northern Hemisphere influenza season a new variant of the virus is rapidly gaining ground - but vaccination remains the “most effective defence”, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WFP , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations Office at Geneva, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG
Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, gave a year-end briefing to the Geneva press corps.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WFP , UNHCR , WHO , IOM , UNFPA
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations Population Fund.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
In Sudan, deep concerns persist for the many tens of thousands of people believed to still be trapped in the city of El Fasher in the Darfur region, but UN aid agencies believe they may soon get access to the embattled city.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Human rights are underfunded, under attack and undermined worldwide, but activism is still powerful, undeterred and mobilising, says UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Human Rights Day press conference
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Human Rights Day Press Conference by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNFPA , UNDP , UNIS
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and UN Women.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza newborns ‘scarred by war before first breath’ by preventable maternal malnutrition: UNICEF
Starving mothers in Gaza are giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA
Embargoed until Monday, December 8, at midnight (NY)/6:00am (Geneva)
Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on funding requirements ahead of the release of the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview