1/7 | What is El Niño? The meteorological phenomenon that could be “very strong” this year. The El Niño weather phenomenon formed in the tropical Pacific, expected to be “very strong” and bring a “prolonged” period of above-average temperatures. – NOAA
Scientists and climate experts warned this Tuesday in the European Parliament that Europe must urgently prepare for the consequences of the El Niño phenomenon of 2026-2027, which, according to its forecasts, will be especially intense and could cause extreme temperatures, floods, crop failures and serious food crises.
“We have seven months before the most disastrous effects of this Niño come,” Antonio Turiel, researcher at the Higher Scientific Research Council (CSIC), warned in statements to the press during the presentation in Brussels of the international campaign “El Niño Alert”, which calls for accelerating adaptation measures to the climate change.
The scientist, from the Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona, explained that the El Niño episodes are becoming more and more intense and that the planet is no longer able to fully recover the heat released during these phenomena, which aggravates its consequences.
“Every time a El Niño comes, there is stress on the crops, many crops are lost due to the high temperatures and the droughts it generates”warned Turiel, who highlighted that Europe, one of the world’s largest cereal producers, is also exposed to these risks.
For his part, climate disseminator and Compromís deputy Juan Bordera warned that extreme weather events will become more and more frequent.
“This is going to be normal, that is, we are going to face more and more episodes of this style,” he assured.
Bordera also warned of the humanitarian consequences of warming and recalled that previous episodes of El Niño caused major famines and epidemics, so this intensified phenomenon and in a more populated world could cause millions of deaths.
“There are going to be famines on a global scale”he warned, before adding that in the European Union it will be observed “from Europe’s point of view, that the shopping basket has become more expensive”, but “in other countries they are going to die of hunger. Literally.”
Experts also warned of increasingly violent weather phenomena in Spain, where the arrival of a storm with winds that, according to Turiel, could reach 150 kilometers per hour is expected this Wednesday.
“The temperature of the Atlantic Ocean is getting higher and higher and we are already reaching a point where it can support hurricanes,” explained the researcher, who warned that ““If we continue moving along this line, we are going to see real hurricanes.”.
He also predicted more tornadoes, extreme hailstorms and thunderstorms, in a process he described as a “tropicalization of the planet.”
The Compromís MEP Vicent Marzà, in the Greens group of the European Parliament and host of the presentation, criticized the slowness of the community institutions to adapt European infrastructures to the new climate and recalled the 236 fatalities of the Valencian dana.
“Not adapting, not preventing costs lives”stated Marzà, who called for bringing forward the deadlines for future European legislation on climate resilience.
“That is too late, because El Niño is already here. We must advance those plans. We must be much faster,” insisted THE deputy, who promoted the visit of climate scientists to the European Parliament as part of an initiative initiated in the United States by the hand of film director Adam McKay, author of the apocalyptic satire “Don’t Look Up.”