Super El Niño: 900,000 Lives at Risk

Climate scientists warn that a Super El Niño phenomenon could be responsible for nearly 900,000 additional deaths worldwide within a 10-month period. The University of Chicago's Climate Impact Lab has developed a tracker forecasting the human toll of this extreme weather event.

Between June and September of this year, an estimated 484,500 excess heat-related deaths were recorded. Projections indicate an additional 372,900 deaths are likely in the subsequent six months. This Super El Niño is expected to disproportionately affect nations such as Nigeria, India, and China, which alone are predicted to account for over a third of these fatalities.

This surge in projected deaths follows warmer-than-forecasted months, with August and September of this year being record-breaking for heat. El Niño events, which occur every two to seven years, typically bring altered weather patterns globally, including increased storms in some regions and dry spells leading to droughts and wildfires elsewhere.

Further research suggests that El Niños are intensifying due to human-caused climate change. A study published in the journal Science indicates that El Niños are now over 36 percent stronger than before the industrial age. This escalation is linked to the rise in global temperatures driven by human activities like burning fossil fuels.