This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Food security concerns, wildfires and power warnings are among the impacts around the world this week from an exceptionally strong El Niño weather cycle. Here is a look at how this year's phenomenon, in which a warmer sea surface shifts global weather patterns, has been affecting people globally: El Niño is associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and the South Sumatra region for months.
The fires have caused a regional haze crisis, with Malaysia last week closing schools in several regions and Singapore announcing subsidies for people seeking medical treatment for haze-linked illness. Malaysia has called for a meeting of regional body ASEAN to discuss the haze and offered firefighting assistance. Experts say years of deforestation and peatland drainage in Indonesia have made it more vulnerable to fires during dry periods.
The fires have sickened tens of thousands of people, while conservationists have rescued dozens of orangutans trapped by smoke and flames, including Novita, a female found clinging to a treetop with burns on her hands and feet. "She had to leave her habitat, and we had to rescue her, primarily because of the flames," said Andi Muhammad Khadafi, head of the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency. Haze from fires also blanketed Manaus, the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, where public schools were shut on Friday.
Amazonas state recorded nearly four times more fire hot spots this September than the year before. On Wednesday alone, over 749 fires were burning. Myanmar warned citizens to expect power outages as the electricity grid is strained by an unseasonal heat wave authorities blamed on El Niño.
"Due to the effects of severe El Niño conditions, temperatures across the country have risen significantly, resulting in increased electricity consumption," the energy ministry said. Weather officials also warned the country to expect "abnormal" rainfall, drought, extreme heat and drinking water shortages. In the Philippines, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the government was preparing for higher demand and the possibility of hydropower declines due to hotter and drier weather.
"The appeal is for the public to be aware of this so that we can all start having the mindset of energy savings," she said. International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva told she is "very concerned" about El Niño's global impacts, particularly on food security. The IMF is "getting ready" to offer support to countries that may struggle to absorb the impact, she added.
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