Key Facts

• El Niño causes warmer Pacific Ocean waters and changes global weather.
• Droughts during El Niño reduce grain production in places like sub-Saharan Africa, increasing food imports and prices.
• Key crops such as wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans see lower yields in many major producing countries.
• Wildfires increase in some areas, especially Brazil, due to drier conditions during El Niño.
• Some regions, including parts of the U.S. and Africa, may experience heavy rainfall and flooding.
• Heatwaves linked to El Niño raise electricity use, boosting coal power demands in Asia.
• Drought reduces hydropower in countries like Colombia, risking power shortages.
• Fish populations decline as changes in ocean water reduce nutrients, affecting fisheries in the Pacific.
• These environmental changes can worsen global economic inequalities and increase geopolitical tensions over food and farming resources.