6. What would be the consequences of the 2023-2024 El Niño phenomenon?

The effects of the next El Niño phenomenon would be more intense heat waves, longer warm seasons, droughts, more devastating forest fires and more powerful storms.

“Indonesia and Australia will likely experience hotter, drier weather, increasing the potential for wildfires. Monsoons in India and rains in South Africa could reduce, while East Africa could see more rains and flooding. “El Niño also increases hurricane activity in the Pacific, meaning places like Hawaii will be at risk of tropical cyclones.”

In the Gloria Dickie publication in Reuters (June, 2023), report that between 2023 and 2024 “El Niño could lead to global economic losses of $3 trillion, according to a study published last month in the journal Science, shrinking GDP as extreme weather decimates agricultural production, manufacturing, and helps spread disease.

And comment that the governments in some vulnerable countries are taking actions in that mater, ”Peru has set aside $1.06 billion to deal with El Nino’s impacts and climate change, while the Philippines — at risk from cyclones — has formed a special government team to handle the predicted fallout”.

The phenomenon would also endanger marine life on the Pacific coast. In March 2023, scientists found that the global sea surface temperature had reached a record level. Possibly El Niño will aggravate the situation. Warmer waters would further increase the bleaching of coral reefs.

“Coral bleaching is worrying because once these corals die, the reefs rarely recover. The few corals that survive struggle to reproduce, yet reef ecosystems – on which people and wildlife depend – are deteriorating.” WWF-Australia