El Nino Warning Issued
Weather experts urge governments to prepare for record-breaking El Nino, warning of disease and severe illness. The World Meteorological Organization says 'death and severe illness' are on the cards as extreme conditions exacerbate preexisting health conditions.
Global Newsflix 3 min read
Weather experts are urging governments across the world to act now as El Nino is set to intensify significantly before the end of the year. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, says 'we still have time to act' and called on health authorities to treat extreme heat as a predictable public-health risk.
The current El Nino is likely to be the strongest in living memory, leading to wetter and stormier conditions in the UK's winter months and extreme heat during the summer. Much of the Southern Hemisphere will face its hottest months at the start of 2027, just as El Nino will be peaking.
Armel Castellan, Extreme Heat Advisor from the WHO-WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme, says above-normal rainfall in some regions and drought risk in others will put water security, nutrition, and vector-borne disease at risk. Warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns also bring an increased risk of diseases carried by mosquitoes, including malaria, dengue, and Zika.
The World Meteorological Organization identified malnutrition and cholera as among the 'most serious concerns' in regions facing both drought and flooding. The amount of people facing acute food insecurity is expected to rise, already standing at 150 million globally.
Teresa Zakaria, Unit Head for Risk Reduction, Humanitarian Operations and Climate Change at WHO, said El Nino is a significant public health threat, not just a climate phenomenon. It is a risk multiplier, and health impacts are expected to be severe.
The El Nino has already exacerbated wildfires in Indonesia, with hundreds of thousands of people facing respiratory illness and carbon emissions on track to equal Indonesia's catastrophic 2015 fires. The strongest El Nino on record is still gaining strength and will persist for months, unleashing extreme weather across the world.
Past events suggest what extreme weather is likely and where it will hit. The El Nino circulation changes tend to amplify high-level winds and weaken low-level winds over the Atlantic, creating wind shear that breaks up hurricanes. Over the Pacific, the weakened winds reduce shear and encourage the air heated by the blob of warm water to spin up into typhoons.
Key facts
- El Nino is set to intensify significantly before the end of the year
- The current El Nino is likely to be the strongest in living memory
- Extreme heat and changing rainfall patterns bring an increased risk of diseases carried by mosquitoes
- 150 million people already face acute food insecurity globally
Three perspectives
Neutral
The World Meteorological Organization is warning of severe health impacts from the record-breaking El Nino. Governments are being urged to prepare now to mitigate the effects of extreme weather. The situation will be closely monitored in the coming months.
Positive
Health authorities are being proactive in preparing for the potential health risks associated with El Nino. The World Meteorological Organization's seasonal outlooks provide much-needed lead time for health authorities to prepare. Informed decisions can make the difference between losing lives or saving them.
Negative
The record-breaking El Nino poses a significant threat to public health, with 'death and severe illness' expected. The increased risk of diseases carried by mosquitoes and the potential for malnutrition and cholera are major concerns. The situation is critical, and governments must act now to prepare.
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