The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which is headed by the UN, announces that extreme weather, climate and water events have caused almost 12,000 disasters in the world, with over two million victims of which 90% in developing countries and economic losses of about 4,300 billion dollars.

The WMO points out that economic damage has soared, but improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management have reduced the rate of loss of life over the past half-century. The UN's goal is to ensure early warning for all by the end of 2027.

The organization has updated to 2021 its "Atlas of mortality and economic losses due to extreme weather, climate and water conditions", which previously ran from 1970 to 2019, and is illustrated today on the occasion of the opening of the quadrennial World Meteorological Congress, which should approve precisely the acceleration and strengthening of action to guarantee early warning services to everyone.

Early warning, explains the World Meteorological Organization, is "a proven and effective climate adaptation measure, which saves lives and provides a return on investment at least ten times higher". However, only half of the countries have it, while there is very low coverage in small island developing states (particularly in the Caribbean) and in the so-called least developed countries (most in Africa and Asia) and Africa.