A new inter-agency report coordinated by the UN agency confirmed this failure to meet the goals and undermines global efforts to tackle hunger, poverty and ill health, improve access to clean water and energy, and many other aspects of the 2030 Agenda.

Of that report, barely 15% is progressing, and in contrast, this is not the case in reducing the gap in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly those pledged by countries and those needed to reach the temperature target of the Paris Agreement (1.5 degrees Celsius).

The report specified that 2023 has demonstrated all too clearly that climate change is already here, record temperatures scorching the earth and warming the sea, while extreme weather conditions wreak havoc across the planet.

Revolutionary scientific and technological advances, such as high-resolution climate modeling, artificial intelligence and current forecasting, can catalyze the transformation to achieve the Goals, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said.

He also noted that a Universal Early Warning System, to be achieved by 2027, would not only save lives and livelihoods, but would also help safeguard sustainable development.

The report shows, for example, how weather forecasts help boost food production and move closer to the goal of zero hunger.

Also, the integration of epidemiology and climate information helps to understand and forecast climate-sensitive diseases, and can advance goals such as clean energy, improved health, sustainable oceans and resilient cities.

ef/arm/lam/crc