A Global Early Warning System for Climate Change - A Case Study for Designing the System

This project was the first stage in the development of CLIM-WARN, a global early warning system for changes in climate. The range of climate-related early warning systems remains far removed from what is actually needed and what is technically feasible. CLIM-WARN will issue warnings to the most severely affected regions of the world - allowing sufficient time for these regions to respond to the situation (time horizon between six months and ten years). In order to acquire the basic data required for planning the system, the project was to conduct a case study in West Africa. In designing this comprehensive early warning system with a focus on those developing countries most at risk, the project partners were to identify potential users, develop sample plans and improve the efficiency of data dissemination.