The United Nations climate agency has warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in the coming weeks and months due to the emerging El Niño weather pattern.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the alert on Tuesday, stating an 80% chance of an El Niño event between June and August and a roughly 90% chance by November. El Niño is characterized by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video statement: “The science is clear: El Niño is arriving on our doorstep in the coming months with 90 percent certainty. The world must treat it as the urgent climate warning it is.”
El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon that typically happens every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months, causing global shifts in winds, pressure, and rainfall patterns.
According to the WMO, El Niño can trigger increased rainfall in southern parts of South America and the United States, parts of the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia. It can also cause drought in Australia, Central America, Indonesia, and parts of South Asia, and spur hurricane formation in the central and eastern Pacific.
The WMO predicted this year’s El Niño to be “at least moderate – and possibly strong.” Guterres warned that “impacts will hit even harder, travel even farther, and cross borders with devastating speed.”
Researchers at Imperial College London and the World Weather Attribution network said the trend could fuel especially severe wildfires this year. In anticipation, the European Union has announced plans to deploy a record number of firefighters and aircraft in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo noted that the last El Niño (2023-2024) was strong and contributed to 2024 being the hottest year on record. She also highlighted risks such as the spread of vector-borne diseases and reduced food and water supplies.
El Niño could further impact food prices. Hein Schumacher, CEO of Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s largest cocoa processors, warned that crops in Ecuador and West Africa, which account for 60% of global output, could be reduced.
Guterres said the climate trend underscores the need to shift away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy: “El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world.”
For consumers already facing inflation due to the US-Israeli regime’s war on Iran, food prices may rise further because of El Niño.
Source: www.aljazeera.com