World prepares for El Nino as records fall

EL NINOS often mean droughts and fires for some countries and flooding rains for others. As impacts worsen with climate change, is the world prepared?

The last three years of consecutive La Ninas have seen floods in southeast Australia and Pakistan, as well as drought in eastern Africa.

Now the climate system is shifting gears. In early July the World Meteorological Organization and national meteorological authorities started lining up to declare an El Nino is underway. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology followed suit this week.

The announcements happened against a backdrop of tumbling global temperature records. Last week, the world had its hottest day ever measured, and then broke that record the very next day.

El Ninos tend to push global temperatures up, increasing the chance of 2023 being the hottest year ever recorded.

But the possible impacts of an El Nino go beyond statistics. In Southeast Asia, authorities are preparing residents for the physical and mental health impacts of severe smoke haze. India's production of major crops like rice and maize is less certain as monsoon timing is affected.

As El Nino takes hold, the race is on to understand what's coming, to avert the worst of what may come, and to prepare us for the impacts we can't avoid.

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James Goldie is the Data and Digital Storytelling Lead of 360info and Suzannah Lyons is the Senior Commissioning Editor of 360info