El Nino ‘wrecking ball’ could cause record Pacific temperature rise, says UN
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UN officials Celeste Saulo (left) and Tom Fletcher speaking at an El Nino press briefing on Oct 21 in Geneva.
PHOTO: EPA
- The UN says a very strong El Nino could raise Pacific sea temperatures by 3.8C above normal from November to January, with peak effects in December.
- It may bring floods, droughts and extreme heat across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, with risks to farming, water and health services.
- UN officials urged urgent preparation, warning that about 50 million people could face more hunger and major humanitarian harm.
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GENEVA – The El Nino weather pattern could cause a record rise in ocean temperatures in the Pacific as it barrels around the globe like a “wrecking ball” causing floods and droughts, UN officials said on Oct 21.
The new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) seasonal outlook predicted the El Nino event would become extremely strong, with temperatures in the central Pacific rising about 3.8 deg C above normal between November and January, peaking around December.
“We have not seen in our records 3.8. We have seen around three in some record El Ninos before, with very substantive impacts across the world. So we are beyond that limit,” WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said.
El Nino is the warm phase of the naturally occurring El Nino-Southern Oscillation cycle – a climate pattern that influences weather around the world.
It tends to cause higher global temperatures and disrupt rainfall patterns across large regions, meaning drought in some areas and heavy rain in others.
It is a natural climate pattern, and is not caused by climate change. However, global warming can make El Ninos more intense.
El Nino-linked weather extremes could worsen pressure on housing, water, sanitation and health services, with flooding risks rising in Southern Africa from November, the WMO said.
In South-east Asia, warmer conditions and a lack of rainfall could impact agriculture and water supplies, while Latin America could see increased rainfall, according to the WMO.
The WMO and the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, called for urgent action to get ready.
“This El Nino is the behemoth, it is a wrecking ball. It will tear through Latin America, Eastern and Southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific with extreme heat, droughts and flood,” Fletcher said, warning of massive humanitarian consequences.
Some 50 million people could face increased hunger, he said. REUTERS