El Niño 2024: Governments Scramble as Record-Breaking Climate Pattern Threatens Millions
Summary: Governments worldwide are racing to prepare for what scientists warn could be the strongest El Niño on record, with poor countries most at risk and a new UN climate fund facing its first major test.
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Scientists warn this year's El Niño could be the strongest ever recorded, prompting governments worldwide to rush preparations for extreme weather [247764]. The climate pattern, which warms the Pacific Ocean and disrupts weather across the globe, is still growing and may break all previous records [247764].
Asian governments are racing to prepare for what could be the strongest El Niño on record, with hundreds of millions of people facing extreme heat, heavy rain and food shortages simultaneously [244110]. The weather pattern is developing alongside human-caused climate change, making its effects worse [244110]. Scientists say El Niño is almost certain to reach very strong intensity late this year and continue into 2027 [244110].
In the United States, California has declared a state of emergency to prepare for what experts call a historic El Niño season [246686]. The declaration allows the state to move resources and funding quickly before the season peaks [246686].
Poor countries are most at risk from El Niño's impacts, as they often lack money and tools to respond [247764]. Experts suggest three key steps: improve early warning systems, store food and water before disasters hit, and protect farms and infrastructure [247764].
A major test is now unfolding at the United Nations. Nepal is dealing with some of its worst floods and landslides in years, with thousands forced from their homes and the death toll rising [247763]. This disaster is testing the new "loss and damage fund," which rich countries created to help poor nations pay for climate change damage [247763]. Wealthy nations, which produced most of the pollution warming the planet, agreed to help poorer nations that suffer the worst effects [247763]. Now the world is watching to see if the money arrives quickly and reaches the people who need it most [247763].
Experts also warn that governments and businesses lack a shared system to track climate risks, leaving the world unprepared for worsening disasters [247755]. Climate risk intelligence—data showing where and when hazards like floods, heatwaves and storms will strike—is scattered, with wealthy countries collecting detailed data while poorer nations often do not [247755]. Experts say a global safety net for climate-risk intelligence is urgently needed [247755].
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