UN Chief: Intensifying El Niño is gasoline on a planet already on fire

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning Friday, stating that the increasingly powerful El Niño phenomenon is "adding fuel to a planet that is already ablaze." He described El Niño as having entered "the house and turning up the heat," contributing to a global climate crisis.

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For two months ago, I warned that El Niño was knocking on our door. Now it is inside the house - and turning up the heat.

Guterres highlighted that the world has already endured an "extreme summer," citing apocalyptic wildfires in Spain and France, and emphasized that current conditions are merely "the warming up." He pointed to scientific assessments indicating this El Niño could be among the strongest ever recorded, with Pacific waters experiencing unprecedented warmth early in the year.

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We have already endured an extreme summer.

The UN chief outlined four key areas for action. He urged cities and countries to develop heat preparedness plans, including early warning systems and access to cooling. He also stressed the need to integrate protection against extreme heat into urban and infrastructure planning. Finally, Guterres called for the world to "stop feeding the crisis" and to stop treating each disaster in isolation, underscoring the interconnectedness of climate impacts.

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But according to the latest scientific knowledge, this is only the warming up.