Map. El Nino

A super El Niño weather system is causing extreme weather in many parts of the world, including drought and flooding. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being hit hardest, leaving millions facing water shortages, hunger and disease this year. El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon that occurs every few years. It happens due to a heating up of the surface of the tropical Pacific Ocean that causes changes to ocean currents and wind patterns, which creates a release of heat into the atmosphere. These have a strong influence on global weather patterns. The current El Niño will be over in early 2016 but the effects will be felt long after. Evidence suggests that the cause-effect relationship between El Niño and climate change is likely to be a reciprocal one: while climate change boosts the probability of a ‘super’ El Niño developing, El Niño, in turn, exacerbates climate change by releasing a large amount of heat from the Pacific Ocean. As the seas heat up due to climate change, the chances of a ‘super’ El Nino occurring are likely to double.

KeywordsEl Niño, drought, floods, hunger and poverty