WMO Pushes to Connect Climate Data, Science and Cities as Extreme Weather Risks Continue to Grow

At the 2026 WMO Global Atmosphere Watch Symposium in Geneva, scientists and organisations examined how stronger coordination could make existing climate capabilities more useful.

The world is collecting an extraordinary amount of information about the climate, from satellites watching Earth from space to weather stations measuring conditions on the ground, yet a major challenge remains in turning those observations into information that communities, city planners and decision-makers can actually use. The World Meteorological Organization's iClimateAction project, funded by the European Union and developed with the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), is working to strengthen those connections at a time when important observation gaps remain and existing monitoring networks are under growing pressure.

Climate services currently face difficulties at both ends of the information chain, since some parts of the planet still lack sufficient observations while valuable data collected elsewhere can remain scattered across institutions, platforms and technical systems. Meetings held between April and July 2026 repeatedly highlighted the same concern: gathering more climate information matters, but its real value appears when different organisations can combine their expertise and translate observations into practical knowledge that supports action.

Climate Science Becomes More Valuable When Institutions Work Together

At the 2026 WMO Global Atmosphere Watch Symposium in Geneva, scientists and organisations examined how stronger coordination could make existing climate capabilities more useful. Urban climate offered a clear example because understanding conditions inside cities involves atmospheric composition, weather forecasting, climate research and sustained observation, yet the specialists, datasets and programmes covering these subjects often operate within separate systems and institutional mandates.

Bringing those resources together could give cities a much clearer understanding of the threats developing around them without requiring every organisation to build entirely new monitoring systems. The discussions reflected a central idea behind iClimateAction: scientific expertise already exists across numerous programmes, and connecting those capabilities can create climate services that are more complete and easier to apply.

That challenge became particularly tangible during an iClimateAction workshop on extreme heat, where attention shifted from global monitoring systems to decisions being made on city streets. Local authorities increasingly understand that dangerous heat threatens residents, infrastructure and public health, but knowing that temperatures are rising does not automatically tell officials which neighbourhoods require urgent intervention, which residents face the greatest risks or which measures could provide the strongest protection.

Cities Need Climate Information That Answers Practical Questions

Useful heat services require much more than temperature measurements. Satellite observations and meteorological records can reveal where heat is building, while health information, housing conditions, infrastructure data and assessments of social vulnerability can show who may suffer most and where protective measures could make the greatest difference.

The workshop explored the possibility of creating a Global Heat Resilience Service capable of bringing these different streams of information and expertise together. Such a service could help cities identify suitable tools and responses based on their own circumstances rather than forcing local authorities to navigate disconnected datasets and technical platforms independently.

The wider climate-data challenge returned to the agenda during the GEO Symposium in June 2026, where representatives from the European Commission, WMO, GCOS, GEO, space agencies, governments and public and private organisations examined the journey from Earth observation to usable climate services. Fragmentation emerged as one of the biggest barriers, with information distributed across numerous organisations, created under different standards and methodologies, and sometimes difficult for users to locate, combine or interpret.

iClimateAction is addressing part of this problem by connecting GEO, WMO and GCOS around Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), the measurements used to describe and track Earth's climate. Stronger links between these observations and operational services could shorten the distance between scientific monitoring and everyday decisions.

Artificial Intelligence Can Help, but Better Data Connections Must Come First

Artificial intelligence could become increasingly useful as climate datasets grow larger and more complex, helping researchers analyse enormous quantities of information faster and potentially supporting new climate services. Participants cautioned that AI cannot repair fragmented systems by itself, especially when datasets remain incompatible or difficult to access.

Common standards, interoperability, transparency, sustained cooperation and equitable access remain essential because advanced technology placed on top of disconnected information systems could create additional complexity instead of making climate knowledge easier to use.

The message emerging from the international meetings was clear: protecting Earth's observation networks is only one part of building stronger climate services. Institutions also need to make far better use of information that already exists by connecting datasets, scientific expertise and operational systems around the needs of the people making decisions.

For iClimateAction, that means helping climate observations complete their journey from measurement to meaningful action, so information collected about a changing planet can reach cities, governments and communities in a form that supports choices about resilience, public safety and climate preparedness.