This year’s ‘Godzilla’ El Nino – one of the most powerful on record – could lead to around 450,000 excess deaths, according to boffins tracking the terrifying weather phenomenon
This year’s supersized El Nino is predicted to kill more than 450,000 people worldwide, scientists have warned.
The terrifying weather phenomenon – which is set to be so big it has already been dubbed “Godzilla” by those tracking it – is forecast to bring with it sweltering temperatures and massive storms, both of which look likely to cause global devastation.
According to experts at the Climate Impact Lab (CIL), these adverse conditions could potentially lead to hundreds of thousands of excess deaths, with the majority caused by heat as global temperatures are set to increase by around 1.2°C over the coming months.
Even a tiny increase can lead to more heat-related deaths, and so experts believe that this figure could see a dramatic impact worldwide.
The CIL said: “We project that 451,000 lives will be lost due to heat the first nine months (June-February) of El Niño, compared to a normal year…With current forecasts suggesting El Niño will remain in place through spring 2027, we expect all of these numbers to grow even higher, particularly as impacts such as higher-than-average temperatures and heat-related deaths will linger into June and July.”
The CIL warn that these deaths are not likely to be spread equally, with countries south of the Equator expected to bear the brunt of the fatalities.
They warn: “Regions that are projected to see the largest increase in heat-related deaths over the next six months are spread across the Global South.
The most impacted countries . . . are forecasted to see an additional 66,800 heat deaths from September-February compared to a normal year, with nearly half of those lives being lost in Nigeria (31,400).
“Elsewhere in the region, Sudan will face 17,500 additional heat deaths, Niger will face 10,000, and Chad 8,000. In South East Asia, the extra heat is projected to cause an additional 19,400 deaths in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia, and 19,300 deaths in Indonesia. Other highly impacted regions over the next six months include India (15,800) and Brazil (13,300).”
While the UK is not expected to see quite the same impacts of this year’s supersized El Nino, the weather phenomenon is still expected to impact our climate in several ways.
Forecasters believe a colder than usual winter could be on its way to Britain, along with a dryer and warmer autumn.