health
El Niño is back with a vengeance
UN’s World Food Programme and agriculture agency issue joint appeal for funds to avert global hunger crisis before it happens
TL;DR
- El Niño is a natural weather pattern known for causing hot years and extreme weather events.
- Scientists predict the current El Niño could be very strong, potentially resembling a 'super' or 'Godzilla' event.
- Historically, El Niño has been linked to severe droughts, crop failures, famines, and societal instability.
- The current El Niño is occurring alongside other global stressors like debt distress in vulnerable countries, high energy prices, and restricted fertilizer supplies.
- The UN's World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization have issued a joint appeal for funds to avert a global hunger crisis.
- El Niño's impacts are expected to be felt globally, including in developed nations through heatwaves and increased vector-borne diseases.
- Climate campaigners are calling for debt cancellation for the global south and social protections funded by windfall taxes on oil and gas companies.
- There is a call to intensify efforts to build multi-hazard early warning systems worldwide.