GoKawiilResearchers warn 2026–27 El Niño poses major global health risks
A commentary in Nature notes that sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific have already surpassed those of the four previous 'very strong' El Niño events of the past 50 years, pointing to droughts in Panama and Indonesia and wildfire risk in Brazil. The authors cite past El Niño episodes that caused trillions of dollars in global income losses, shortened life expectancy in Pacific Rim nations, and worsened childhood undernutrition.