Why El Niño 2026 has scientists worried

Climate scientists have put out a dire warning about this year’s El Niño; that it will likely be the worst in recorded history.

And if previous ‘super’ El Niños are anything to go by, that means that this cycle will bring extreme weather – flooding, drought, wildfires, and hunger- across the world. But how do scientists know what the effects of an El Niño will be? And how do they communicate that information to governments and the public in a way that causes calm preparedness instead of panic?

Tom Di Liberto is a former climate scientist for the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a science communicator, who specialises in monitoring El Niño phenomena. He joins Tristan Redman and Asma Khalid on today’s The Global Story.

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