According to UN forecasts, by the end of next year, 50 million people in 45 countries will face acute hunger due to the rapidly developing El Niño weather system. This is reported by The Guardian-.
Millions of people are already facing hunger due to prolonged droughts in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices caused by the war in Iran.
Analysis suggests that Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Southern Africa are likely to be the hardest hit. In South and Southeast Asia, there will likely be less rainfall than usual, which will create serious problems for agriculture and farmers. This year's El Niño, a weather system that develops in the Pacific Ocean every few years and alters global precipitation patterns, is considered the strongest in at least 70 years.
Earlier this year, experts noted that a strong El Niño could coincide with global warming, marking the hottest year on record either this year or, more likely, in 2027.
It is worth noting that during the El Niño of 2015-16, between 60 million and 100 million people suffered from food insecurity.
Scientists predict that the developing El Niño in the Pacific Ocean will become one of the strongest on record. However, climatologists have also begun discussing the potential formation of an unusual phenomenon in the Atlantic Ocean — Atlantic La Niña.
Scientists from the University of Miami (USA) believe it is too early to declare the Atlantic La Niña a settled fact. However, researchers have already recorded abnormally low temperatures in some areas of the Atlantic Ocean and have rated the likelihood of Atlantic La Niña formation as high.
The Pacific La Niña affects the climate of many regions around the world, while the impact of Atlantic La Niña is more localized. Increased rainfall is expected in Western Africa and the Sahel region. In northeastern Brazil, on the contrary, rainfall may decrease.
In the Cabo Verde region, the activity of tropical cyclones may decrease, which could also indirectly affect the Atlantic storm season. Scientists currently view Atlantic La Niña as just one of several possible scenarios. Meanwhile, the Pacific El Niño is already developing. Climatologists predict that this phenomenon will intensify. Researchers do not rule out the possibility that this year's phenomenon could rank among the largest in the history of observations.
