United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has sounded the alarm over an intensifying El Niño phenomenon, warning that the climate pattern is set to peak later this year and drive the world into a period of extreme weather risk.
Speaking on Thursday, Guterres said El Niño is rapidly strengthening and is expected to become a “very strong” event in the coming months, with forecasts suggesting it will persist through February. He described the planet as entering “uncharted waters,” pointing to rising sea surface temperatures and climbing global temperatures as clear evidence that the world has entered a “danger zone” for extreme weather.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) backed this assessment, confirming that El Niño is now firmly established and will intensify further in the months ahead. The agency warned that the phenomenon’s effects on rainfall and temperature patterns will heighten the risk of floods, droughts, and extreme heat around the world — with impacts on the climate expected to linger well into 2027, even after El Niño itself peaks toward the end of this year.
While El Niño is a naturally occurring climate cycle and not directly caused by human-driven climate change, scientists caution that it is likely to intensify the effects of a planet already warming due to fossil fuel emissions, worsening the severity of weather extremes globally.
Guterres called for urgent global action, framing the moment as a race against time. “The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people,” he said. “We must win that race.”
