According to early forecasts, the El Niño climate phenomenon will return this year, as the unusual three-year run of its cooler counterpart – known as La Niña – comes to an end. While the natural oscillation driven by ocean temperatures and winds in the Pacific naturally switches between El Niño and La Niña, scientists have warned that the arrival of El Niño will exacerbate the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis. Ian Sample speaks to environment editor Damian Carrington about the El Niño and La Niña systems, what happens if El Niño pushes global temperature rises above 1.5C of warming, and if we’re prepared for even more extreme weather events
Clips: DW News, BBC News
