Extreme event preparation must begin immediately

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to improve their climate literacy so as to understand the projected impacts from the expanding climate crisis and how to adapt their workplaces in the face of these impacts.

Images like this one from Valencia, Spain are becoming common.

Just a few weeks ago the people of Tampa Bay and surrounds suffered the same and a little while before that it was the people of Asheville.

We have been told for a while that risks are increasing with every increment of heating and that “high risks are now assessed to occur at lower global warming levels.”

We are about to cross +1.5ºC of heating permanently shortly. With October 2024’s data we can now look back over the last decade and determine that the last 10 years we heated by 0.43ºC. This is trend sustains itself then 2ºC will arrive 15 years earlier than projected!

There is absolutely no time to waste to prepare as best we can for these impacts. A high priority is having a robust early warning system in place. On this topic please see the recent declaration by G20 nations.

As Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary-General, said last week:

“Early action is not possible without knowing what hazard will hit a community and when. Weather and climate information and forecasts are a key part of an integrated approach. Our forecasts need to be tailored for effective, inclusive, and accessible decision making. The time is now, the need for action is urgent, and our shared responsibility as leaders is clear.”

Do you know what the risks are of extreme events where you live and work? Now would be a very good time to find that information.