Climate risk and early warning systems: CREWS initiative
Building seamless multi-hazard early warning system and risk information capacities with strengthened international cooperation
This guide presents the current state and the gaps of early warning systems around the world, and a new initiative called Climate Risk Early Warning System (CREWS) to address the needs in early warning systems.
CREWS coalition is led by France in collaboration with Norway, the WMO, UNISDR and the World Bank/GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery). The aim is to strengthen and broaden the work of the international community in supporting early warning systems in vulnerable countries, and to mobilize additional financing to support and enhance the current actions, in order to try to fully cover the global population exposed to extreme climate events by 2020.
Early warning systems save lives and significantly reduce the economic impact of disasters. Yet in over half of Africa, there is no weather observation. According to the WMO, 54% of surface stations and 71% of atmospheric weather stations emit no data.
Explore further
