"Half of humanity is already in the danger zone," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said earlier this week. And yet, "one-third of the world's people, mainly in least developed countries and small island developing states, are still not covered by early warning systems."
With the trend expected to worsen as global temperatures continue to climb, "there is a need to invest $1.5 billion" in the next five years to predict when extreme events might occur, said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Africa is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, which also can impact food security. Parts of the continent are ravaged frequently by drought, cyclones or intense rainfall, but 60% of the population lives in areas that are not covered by early-warning weather systems.