WMO Calls for Urgent Action on Early Warnings for Industrial Disaster Risks

The issue was at the centre of the United Nations Global Seminar on Early Warning, Pollution Remediation, and Environmental Liability, held on 29–30 January 2026.

As climate change intensifies floods, droughts and compound weather events, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has joined international calls for urgent action to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems capable of addressing technological and Natech (natural hazard-triggered technological) disasters.

The warning comes amid growing evidence that interactions between natural hazards and industrial infrastructure are increasing the risk of large-scale accidents, cross-border pollution and cascading environmental impacts.

UN Seminar Focuses on Cascading Hazards and Cross-Border Pollution

The issue was at the centre of the United Nations Global Seminar on Early Warning, Pollution Remediation, and Environmental Liability, held on 29–30 January 2026. The seminar was initiated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and co-organised with WMO and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Discussions focused on hydrological extremes — including floods, droughts and compound events — and how they can trigger industrial accidents, contaminate shared water bodies and amplify disaster impacts across national borders.

UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary Dmitry Mariyasin underscored the stakes, noting that “catastrophic industrial accidents and Natech events remind us how quickly lives, communities and shared waters can be affected.”

Lessons from Past Disasters Drive Today’s Warning Systems

WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said hard-learned lessons from past catastrophes had shaped today’s early warning capacities — but warned that gaps remain.

“History reminds us what is at stake,” she said, referencing the 1970 Bhola Cyclone, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Japan’s 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. “Our collective ambition is clear: disasters of this scale should never again occur because warnings were missing, delayed, or not acted upon.”

She stressed that cooperation across borders is critical. “It saves lives, protects livelihoods, and strengthens resilience.”

Early Warning Systems Expanding from Weather to Industrial Risk

Ko Barrett highlighted how modern early warning systems are increasingly capable of addressing complex, cascading risks that span sectors and borders.

Key areas of progress include the ability to:

• Predict how pollutants move through the atmosphere and oceans

• Share real-time observations and modelling for emergency environmental response, including forecasts of radioactive dispersion

• Track volcanic ash clouds and oil spills, enabling aviation and maritime authorities to protect lives while minimising disruption

• Anticipate where heavy rainfall will fall and assess likely on-the-ground impacts

• Strengthen forecasts and warnings for sand and dust storms, wildfire risk, floods, droughts, heat and cold

• Provide skillful seasonal outlooks to support advance planning in sectors such as health, agriculture and energy

Through initiatives such as the Early Warnings for All Roadmap and the Regional HydroSOS support plan, WMO is helping countries align national systems, strengthen cross-border cooperation, support river basin commissions and guide investment in regional early warning and resilience capabilities.

HydroSOS Supports Cross-Border Water Risk Management

Angela Chiara Corina of Italy’s National Civil Protection Department, speaking in her role as Vice-President of WMO’s SERCOM commission, highlighted HydroSOS, WMO’s global hydrological status and outlook system.

HydroSOS provides authoritative, interoperable data ranging from short-term flood forecasts to seasonal water stress outlooks, supported by WMO’s Unified Data Policy. This enables authorities and industrial operators to anticipate risks, plan preventive measures and coordinate responses more effectively across borders.

Turning Early Warning into Early Action

The seminar also showcased UNECE’s upgraded Industrial Accidents Notification System and UNDRR’s guidance on preparedness and risk governance under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Together, UNECE, WMO and UNDRR demonstrated how integrated early warning systems can be translated into early action — strengthening resilience to water-related hazards and reducing the risk of multi-sector cascading disasters in an increasingly interconnected world.

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