Comment on El Niño emergence

Commenting on the news that the expected El Niño climate phenomenon has emerged according to scientists [1], Gareth Redmond-King, Head of International Programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “Confirmation of El Niño’s return has already hit future food prices on global markets. And it confirms this year could be particularly dangerous as the climate crisis and El Niño combine to amplify extremes.

“In the UK, we import half of our food, with half of that coming from areas of the world most vulnerable to heat, drought, flooding and other climate impacts. And we can't simply grow ourselves out of the problem - half the commodities we import we can't grow here, and even staples we do, like carrots, parsnips and cauliflowers, could see low yields after last year's drought. [2]

“As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made clear in March, hope of protecting those food supplies lies in halving our emissions this decade. But we can also help the poorest and most vulnerable nations that grow that food to adapt to climate impacts, and recover quickly from climate disaster. All the evidence shows the cost of doing both these things is far lower than the cost of doing nothing.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. NOAA declares the arrival of El Niño: https://www.weather.gov/news/230706-ElNino
2. The National Farmers’ Union has warned on the risk to yields in the UK from climate impacts and energy prices: https://www.ft.com/content/80818949-cbf6-4830-8703-0e561e2fead7
   

For more information:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net