New financing mechanism underpins early climate warnings, adaptation

1st July 2022 By: Schalk Burger - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

The United Nations Systematic Observation Financing Facility (SOFF) is a new financing mechanism for climate action that has become operational and underpins early warnings and adaptation.

The finance mechanism aims to strengthen weather and climate observations, improve early warnings to save lives, protect livelihoods and underpin climate adaptation for long-term resilience, the UN announced on June 30.

The SOFF seeks to address the long-standing problem of missing weather and climate observations from least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

In support of the Paris Agreement, it will strengthen the international response to climate change by filling the data gaps that limit our understanding of the climate. These gaps affect the world's capacity to predict and adapt to extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves, the organisation said.

“Less than 10% of required basic weather and climate observations are available from SIDS and LDCs. The world urgently needs this data and this is why SOFF will be a partnership of equals where everyone has a role and responsibilities,” said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas.

The objective of the SOFF is to support SIDS and LDCs through the provision of grant financing and technical assistance for the sustained collection and international exchange of surface-based weather and climate observations according to the internationally agreed Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) and to help other developing countries in assessing how to meet the GBON requirements.

“As the climate crisis worsens, it is crucial that we boost the power of prediction for everyone so countries can reduce disaster risk. That is why we have launched an initiative to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within the next five years.

“The SOFF is an essential tool to achieve this. I thank all the countries that are providing initial funding to the SOFF UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund and urge others to do the same,” said UN secretary-general António Guterres.

“Early warning systems are built on the foundation of weather observation data, but this foundation is patchy to non-existent in many in LDCs and African countries. I urge others to follow suit and help create a strong global data foundation upon which timely, accurate, people-centred early warning systems can be built for everyone.

“Our collective efforts are needed more than ever,” said special adviser to the UN secretary-general on climate action and just transition Selwin Hart.

The SOFF provides benefits not only to the most vulnerable countries, but to all countries across the globe. The improved availability of weather and climate observations enabled by the SOFF is essential if the world community is to realize the $162-billion a year in socioeconomic benefits of weather and climate prediction.

“Filling the gaps in the global observation system will significantly improve the quality of much-needed weather and climate forecasts on a global scale. This will improve warnings and climate predictions.

“We all will benefit from it. Development and adaptation to climate change will be supported locally, regionally and globally,” said Austrian Development Agency deputy MD Habertheuer Heinz.

The SOFF is a key building block for a new initiative Early Warning and Early Action spearheaded by Guterres to ensure that early warning services reach everyone in the next five years.