World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) participated in the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) High-Level Roundtable and Technical Workshop on Strengthening Energy Infrastructure Resilience, held on 30 September – 1 October 2025 at the IEA Headquarters in Paris. The two complementary events brought together ministers, senior policymakers, industry leaders, and scientific experts to explore how to strengthen the resilience of global energy systems to growing risks from extreme weather, natural hazards, and other systemic shocks.

Under the leadership of Dr. Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director, both events provided a platform to discuss how resilience can be systematically embedded into the design, planning, and financing of energy infrastructure. The dialogue underscored the urgent need for climate-informed decision-making, as nearly 300 extreme weather events in 2023 disrupted energy systems worldwide and affected around 290 million households.

Against this backdrop, Roberta Boscolo, Head of Climate and Energy at WMO, brought the Organization’s scientific perspective to the discussions. She highlighted the vital role of climate intelligence, data, and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in supporting risk-informed policies, regulations, and investments. Stressing that resilience begins with science-based foresight, she called for NMHSs to be systematically engaged in national and regional energy planning to deliver forecasts, hazard data, and early warning services. WMO also showcased how its global observation systems — including the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) and the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) — help close critical data gaps that hinder accurate risk pricing and investment planning, reinforcing the Organization’s commitment to science-based resilience building.

Over the two-day event, WMO played an active role in several sessions: from “Monitoring Resilience” and “Emerging Technologies” to “Finance, Insurance and Regulation.” The Organization emphasized that reliable climate and hydrological data are essential for insurance pricing, project bankability, and investment resilience. It also illustrated how linking forecast-based planning with operations and maintenance can reduce costs and enhance system reliability, demonstrating the tangible benefits of integrating climate intelligence into the energy sector.

The events further highlighted the strong alignment between WMO’s mandate and the IEA’s Energy Infrastructure Resilience initiative. Both institutions share the goal of integrating scientific foresight into decision-making frameworks that make energy systems cleaner, more secure, and more adaptive to climate risks. WMO will also engage its network of NMHSs and partners, including Imperial College London, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the World Bank, and major insurers to advance data standards, impact-based forecasting, and risk metrics that make resilience measurable and investable.