The call for joined-up international thinking in response to the El Niño weather phenomenon has come from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP — see @UNDP). The UNDP made this call ahead of a meeting of international government representatives and scientific experts in July 2016. Attending the meeting were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mary Robinson, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for El Niño and Climate.
The meeting is timely, given that the latest El Niño has begun to recede. The term El Niño refers to the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.) This leads to warming of the central and eastern Pacific. This phenomenon can cause floods and droughts across broad swathes of the world. Developing countries dependent upon agriculture and fishing, particularly those bordering the Pacific Ocean, are the most affected.
As a result of the most recent El Niño some 60 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, as results of the effects of severe drought, flooding and other weather related events.
The call for coordinated international effort has come from UN Assistant Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu. In a statement, the politician said: “El Niño is frequently seen as a humanitarian challenge. While this is true, there are also profound developmental aspects to weather phenomena like El Niño.”
He then added: “That is because they are not one-off events or disasters. Instead, they are felt regularly and that is why it is crucial to prepare now to mitigate their impact next time around.”
The recent meeting has also focused on preparing for the next event. An El Niño happens every three to seven years. Moreover, the phenomenon is regularly followed a La Niña, which is an almost as severe weather event. La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is a counterpart of El Niño, and it also relates to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation climate pattern.
Key to coordinating future responses is the UNDP. The agency is involved with disaster risk reduction, climate risk management, crisis response and recovery.
