A new multi-agency report, coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), provides an update on the latest data on the state of weather, climate, water, and related environmental and social sciences. The report warns that climate change and hazardous weather impacts are putting development gains at risk – but is hopeful that new technologies and innovation can reverse these trends.
Titled, ‘United in Science 2024,’ the report explores how advances in natural and social sciences, new technologies, and innovation improve our understanding of the Earth system. It highlights their “game changing” role in supporting climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and sustainable development.
The report notes that when the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in 2015, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were projected to rise by 16% by 2030 relative to 2015. Today, that projected increase is 3%. Yet, despite this progress, the emissions gap for 2030 “remains high,” according to the report. To limit global warming to 2°C and 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, by 2030, global GHG emissions must decrease by 28% and 42%, respectively, “from the levels projected from current policies,” a WMO press release states.
The report underscores the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation action, arguing that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can make weather modelling faster, cheaper, and more accessible to lower-income countries (LICs), where computational capacities are limited. The report also reveals “incredible” advancements in space-based Earth observations that bring vast opportunities to enhance weather, climate, water, and other related environmental applications.
The report also discusses how immersive technologies such as digital twins, virtual reality, and the metaverse can “revolutionize” integrated land and water management through interactive and data-driven solutions to bridge the physical and digital worlds.
Transdisciplinary approaches are at the core of the report, bringing together scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society, including local and Indigenous communities, “to co-create knowledge and implement solutions” that are relevant to local contexts. A transdisciplinary approach “differs from a multidisciplinary approach, where experts from different disciplines work on the same issue separately,” the report indicates.
The report was issued on 18 September, ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Future (SoF). Prepared under the direction of the UN Secretary‑General, it features contributions from WMO, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Global Carbon Project (GCP), UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Official Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC (YOUNGO), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Science Council (ISC), and as well as from national meteorological services, observatories, and think tanks. [Publication: United in Science 2024: A multi-organization high-level compilation of the latest weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences for the future] [Publication Landing Page] [WMO Press Release]