Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems

The report argues that while early warning systems (EWS) are traditionally viewed as governmental, the private sector can provide critical value as users, vendors, partners, and innovators across the EWS value chain. It identifies a significant global coverage gap, noting that only 50% of countries have reliable multi-hazard early warnings. The document outlines drivers for business engagement, such as new climate risk reporting requirements like the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and technological advancements in AI and IoT. However, it also highlights barriers, including a lack of granular data and unclear government policies. To catalyze engagement, the report recommends that governments provide clearer incentives, foster public-private partnerships, and adopt open data policies, citing the WMO's Unified Data Policy and the EU's classification of meteorological data as a "high-value dataset" as positive examples.

• There is a critical global gap in early warning system (EWS) coverage, with only 50% of countries currently possessing reliable multi-hazard early warnings.
• Effective multi-hazard EWS significantly reduce human mortality and the number of affected people; countries with limited to moderate coverage have a mortality ratio nearly six times higher than those with substantial to comprehensive coverage.
• Businesses engage with EWS through four primary roles across the value chain: as users (integrating data for risk mitigation), vendors (supplying technology and infrastructure), partners (collaborating with public agencies), and innovators (developing novel AI-driven or predictive tools).
• The adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in 2024 has forced companies in the European Union to report on climate risk, acting as a driver for increased engagement with EWS data.
• Technological advancements in satellite imagery and IoT are creating new commercial opportunities; the number of annual satellite launches grew from under 200 in 2010 to over 1,200 by 2020.
• Private sector engagement is hindered by a lack of granular, asset-specific data and by restrictive or poorly defined government policies that were developed without consulting stakeholders like mobile network operators.
• To increase business participation, governments should implement open data platforms and standardize dissemination protocols, such as the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Catalysing_Business_Engagement_in_Early_Warning_Systems_2025.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems. 2025. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Catalysing_Business_Engagement_in_Early_Warning_Systems_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems |date=January 2025 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Catalysing_Business_Engagement_in_Early_Warning_Systems_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025catalysing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Catalysing_Business_Engagement_in_Early_Warning_Systems_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }