Amid renewed warnings from leading climate scientists that global warming could reach 3C above pre-industrial levels this century, the head of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted on Wednesday that new technology and AI offer the opportunity to implement the drastic action needed to resist the existential crisis.
"We need urgent and ambitious action now to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could be the difference between a future breakdown or a breakthrough to a better world," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Echoing the stark assessment of the latest UN-partnered United in Science report that record concentrations of greenhouse gases will fuel global temperature increase, Ms. Saulo 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.
AI and machine learning are already revolutionizing the science of weather forecasting by it "faster, cheaper and more accessible", the WMO chief noted, before adding that cutting-edge satellite technologies and virtual reality simulations are now "opening new frontiers" in key sectors already threatened by climate change and hazardous weather, such as land and water management.
Updates to follow//
