UN Warns World Has Entered 'Danger Zone' as El Niño Set to Be Strongest in 70 Years
- The WMO released new data showing the current El Niño could be the strongest since at least 1950 and may last until February 2027
- Sea surface temperatures in the Pacific hit more than 2C above average, with forecasts suggesting they could approach 4C above average
- Droughts, typhoons, wildfires and flooding have already hit multiple regions as scientists warn the worst impacts are still ahead
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is now in a "danger zone of extreme weather" as the effects of an intensifying El Niño take hold across multiple continents.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released data this week showing the current El Niño could be the most powerful in over 70 years, with its effects expected to last until at least February 2027.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, surface temperatures in the Pacific's key monitoring zone have climbed well above 2C higher than average in recent weeks, and monthly readings could approach 4C above average, which would make this the strongest such event recorded since at least 1950.
"El Niño is being supersized before our eyes. The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up," Guterres said.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo added that the phenomenon "has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world." The agency said it has launched a major mobilisation to push its extreme weather forecasts to as many communities as possible ahead of the most severe impacts.
Wildfires, typhoons and flooding already under way
Indonesia is already battling wildfires that have scorched more than 107,000 hectares of land during the current dry season. A resident in Central Kalimantan, Darwin Romy, said the fires had persisted "for more than a month," describing thick smoke that stings the eyes and a persistent burning smell.
Authorities have deployed cloud-seeding aircraft and arrested dozens of people suspected of setting fires to clear land.
In China, experts have linked a super El Niño to an expectation of seven typhoons making landfall this year. Three struck in July alone, killing dozens, and Typhoon Dolphin in August forced more than one million people to evacuate.
Drier conditions forecast for South East Asia, Central America and northern South America are raising wildfire and drought risks. In anticipation of reduced rainfall, the Panama Canal cut vessel crossings by more than 10% this week. The waterway handles roughly 14,000 ships a year and generates about $3 billion annually for Panama.
Vulnerable countries brace for worse
Peru, Ecuador and parts of Brazil face elevated risks of flash flooding and landslides as rainfall intensifies along the eastern Pacific coast. The US has already sent the medical vessel USNS Comfort to the Peruvian coast to provide additional support as El Niño nears its peak.
Miguel Aréstegui, climate resilience lead at Practical Action, said concern must translate into action rather than panic, but cautioned that El Niño "does not arrive in a vacuum." He pointed to deeper structural problems, including poor housing in flood-prone areas and weak health systems, which amplify the damage from any extreme weather event.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef may be spared the worst this season, but Dr Alistair Hobday, chief researcher at Australia's national science agency, said southern Australia faces severe marine heatwaves.
"Southern Australia is getting slammed," he said, citing past events that produced starving penguins, fish kills and jellyfish invasions.
China pays $641 million UN annual due
Legit.ng earlier reported that the United Nations has confirmed that China has fully settled its annual dues, amounting to $641,361,387.
Source: Legit.ng
