A new global partnership, lead by the UK Met Office, is aiming to make one billion people safer from the increasingly devastating effects of dramatic weather events.

REAP (The Risk-informed Early Action Partnership) has been launched at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. REAP is an initiative combining expertise from across the climate, humanitarian and development communities with international funding and demand for services. Over 30 nations and organisations including the United Kingdom, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed up to the partnership. 

In the past 20 years, 4.5 billion people have been affected by disasters, 90% of which are caused by weather and climate-related events. With a warming climate, instances of severe weather are likely to increase around the globe, making it ever more important to streamline the support available to vulnerable nations.

Through sharing best practice, lessons learned and expertise, it is expected that existing programmes and initiatives, which aim to address challenges concerning climate risk, will be better coordinated, scaled and therefore impactful.

Helen Bye, Head of International Development at the Met Office, said: “This is an important step forward in bringing together the global effort to save lives end ensure sustainable livelihoods. By managing the demand and funding for ground-breaking climate early warning and action programmes, we can ensure that the greatest number of people possible around the world benefit.”