El Nino reaches super status: Where will it bring rain, drought and heat?

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Al Jazeera or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The current El Niño has crossed the 2°C anomaly threshold, officially becoming a "super" El Niño
• Forecasters expect it to peak in early 2027 and potentially rank among the strongest on record

🔭 The context: The event is expected to bring heavy rain to East Africa and South America while driving drought across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Southern Africa
• It arrives on top of a climate system that is already overshooting warming targets

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: A super El Niño compounds extreme weather risk across multiple continents simultaneously
• It threatens to undo recent progress on global food security

⏭️ What's next: Aid agencies are bracing for a surge in acute hunger as the event peaks
• Governments in the most exposed regions will need to prepare adaptation plans before the peak hits

💬 One quote: "El Nino is a massive threat to the food security of millions who are already vulnerable" — Carl Skau, WFP acting executive director

📈 One stat: 49 million: additional people the WFP warns could be pushed into acute hunger by end-2027, raising the global total to 274 million

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thank you for donating today