The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
"World should prepare for El Nino development, associated with increased heat and drought", says WMO
The El Niño weather pattern is likely to develop later this year and could contribute to rising global temperatures, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday at a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
This would have the opposite impacts on weather and climate patterns in many regions of the world than the three-year period of La Niña that just ended and which often lowers global temperatures.
“The next few months from May to July, we have a 60% chance to enter into an El Niño phase. This likelihood will increase to 70% if we look at the period from July to August and even to 80% if we go past August. But of course, beyond, we can't say much,” said Wilfran Moufouma Okia, Head of WMO’s regional climate prediction services division. “Of course, this will change the weather and climate pattern worldwide.”
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It occurs on average every two to seven years, and episodes usually last nine to 12 months.
“The warmest year was 2016, according to our report. So, we are expecting in the coming two years to have a serious increase in the global temperature,” reported Mr. Okia.
According to WMO’s State of the Global Climate reports, 2016 is the warmest year on record because of the “double whammy” of a very powerful El Niño event and human-induced warming from greenhouse gases.
“We just had the eight warmest years on record and three of those were La Niña years. So, this just gives you an indication of the climate context we're in,” said Clare Nullis, WMO’s spokesperson, quoting WMO’s Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
According to WMO’s Professor Taalas, the world should prepare for the development of El Niño, which is often associated with increased heat, drought or rainfall in different parts of the world. It might bring relief from the drought in the Horn of Africa and other La Niña- related impacts but could also trigger more extreme weather and climate events.
“The state of the ocean is the warmest and we are currently in the so-called neutral phase of the El Niño oscillation whereby basically we left the state of the La Niña, and we are moving toward a different state,” said WMO’s Wilfran Moufouma Okia.
El Niño and La Niña are major – but not the only - drivers of the Earth’s climate system.
-ends-
STORY: WMO- EL Niño update
TRT: 01’41”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
RELEASE DATE: 03 May 2023
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot of podium, speakers, conference room, Palais des Nations, Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Wilfran Moufouma Okia, Head of WMO regional climate prediction services division, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The next few months from May to July, we have a 60% chance to enter into an El Niño phase. This likelihood will increase to 70% if we look at the period from July to August and even to 80% if we go past August. But of course, beyond, we can't say much. That's where we are. Of course, this will change the weather and climate pattern worldwide.”
- Wide shot, laptop screen in foreground with podium, speakers and monitor in background, conference room, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Wilfran Moufouma Okia, Head of WMO regional climate prediction services division, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The warmest year was 2016, according to our report. So we are expecting in the coming two years to have a serious increase in the global temperature.”
- Wide shot: camera person, tripod
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “We just had the eight warmest years on record and three of those were La Niña years. So this just gives you an indication of the climate context we're in.”
- Wide shot: podium and speakers, technicians in background
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Wilfran Moufouma Okia, Head of WMO regional climate prediction services division, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The state of the ocean is the warmest and we are currently in the so-called neutral phase of the El Niño oscillation whereby basically we left the state of the La Niña, and we are moving toward a different state.”
- Medium shot: speakers at podium, conference room
- Close up: camera
- Medium shot: journalist typing
- Wide shot: camera operator, podium
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , IFRC
Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Deadly hantavirus on board cruise ship may be transmitted among humans - WHO
Hantavirus victims on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected prior to joining the cruise and human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out – although it is rare - the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ILO , UNHCR , IFRC , WHO , OHCHR , UNECE
ILO: Report on Skills and Lifelong Learning; UNHCR, IFRC: Humanitarian Needs Rise in Lebanon; WHO: Cruise Ship Hantavirus; OHCHR: Civilians Impacted Amid Clashes in Mali; UNECE: Call for Water Cooperation in Central Africa; IFRC: Call for Protection of Humanitarian Personnel on the Anniversary of the Founding of IFRC
1
7
1
1
Press Conferences | ITU , UNDRR
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kamal Kishore, will brief the media on the launch a joint report titled "When Digital Systems Fail: The Hidden Risks of our Digital World."
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN rights chief concerned by upheld convictions of Cambodian activists.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , OHCHR
Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies
As the Middle East crisis continues the humanitarian fallout is worsening, with aid route disruptions and food and fuel price hikes wrecking the lives and rights of the most vulnerable, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , OHCHR
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNMAS
Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office in Syria conducted a 5-day visit to the northeast of the country where they received accounts of human rights violations and abuses.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Sudan: ‘History repeating itself’ for Darfur’s children - UNICEF
Mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur 20 years ago reverberated as far as Hollywood, but today, a new generation of children faces attacks, hunger and displacement in an emergency largely ignored by the outside world, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNICEF , IFRC
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the International Federation of the Red Cross.
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNMAS
Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave's people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance.