The World Meteorological Organization community will continue to provide science-based climate monitoring to anchor COP negotiations in authoritative evidence, and to support both mitigation and adaptation. This was the message of top WMO delegates to the UN Climate Change negotiations, COP30.
Science is not only warning us about climate change; it is equipping us to adapt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a keynote presentation to Earth Observations Day. It was echoed in WMO statements to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) - one of the key COP mechanisms.
Earth Information Day is a mandated annual event at the COP (Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). It receives updates on the state of the global climate, the global climate observation system, as well as gaps and emerging opportunities in advancing and sustaining systematic observation.
"Our understanding of the climate system has never been stronger. The data you produce could not have been clearer. The planet is heating up. We are in the danger zone," said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary.
"Your work connects science with lives and livelihoods, turning data into resilience and foresights. Climate change is accelerating but so too are our tools and acting upon it," he said.
He said that the global observing system - which is is under strain from inadequate capacity - should be treated as a global public good.
Global Observing System
In a keynote speech , Celeste Saulo highlighted advances and gaps in Earth observations and data sharing.
"From satellite constellations to community-based monitoring, we are witnessing an unprecedented era of connectivity. This empowers nations, especially those most vulnerable, to act with precision and foresight," she said.
"As we look ahead, let us reaffirm our commitment to open science, inclusivity, and global cooperation. Let us ensure that Earth information is not only collected - but also understood, accessible, and actionable for all," she said.
The Global Climate Observing System has provided the foundation for global climate monitoring for the past 33 years and coordinates the observation of Essential Climate Variables.
"Today, we must sound the alarm. The continuity of systematic observations is under growing threat, from declining in situ networks, uncertain follow-on satellite missions, and barriers to data access, including historical data. These losses jeopardize our collective capacity to monitor the climate system and to track progress, as required by numerous UNFCCC areas of work," said GCOS Chair Thelma Krug .
Space-based observations have been transformative in our ability to monitor and understand climate change as well as to inform sound adaptation and mitigation policies, said Florence Rabier of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) .
But big weather and climate data gaps remain and the Systematic Observations Financing Facility is innovating finance to urgently close those gaps, in particular Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, said SOFF Director Markus Repnik.
SOFF is the single-purpose UN Fund to support countries in generating and internationally exchanging mandatory basic weather and climate observations.
More than 100 countries have requested SOFF support; 61 countries have readiness support, and 18 countries have investment support, with the first new data flowing, he said.
State of Climate Update
Highlights of the WMO's State of the Climate Update were presented by Director of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System division, Albert Fischer . 2025 was one of the warmest years on record. Greenhouse gas concentrations and ocean heat are record high, the long-term sea level rise continues as does ice melt and glacier retreat, he said in a presentation to both Earth Observations Day and SBSTA.
An unprecedented streak of high temperatures, combined with last year's record increase in greenhouse gas levels, makes it clear that it will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5 °C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target, he told SBSTA.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chair, Jim Skea , presented an update in preparations and priorities for the forthcoming IPCC Seventh Assessment report.
In addition to improved monitoring and observations, climate research is essential to understand the rapid changes in Earth's system.
The WMO co-sponsored World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) is strives to help us understand and predict climate change.
WCRP released a status brief on "Current understanding of global sea-level rise" to translate the latest climate science into actionable insights for policymakers.
WCRP is working on an authoritative assessment that will systematically review our understanding of threshold breaching, irreversibility, and tipping points in the Earth's climate system, including in the Amazon, said WMO Senior Scientific Officer on behalf of WCRP.
