Super El Niño is strengthening / Britain publishes list of supplies every household should keep for emergencies

The strengthening of the El Niño climate phenomenon has prompted the British government to ask citizens to be prepared for emergency situations. The recommendation is for households to store food, water and basic supplies to cope with several days without electricity or running water.

Angela Eagle, British Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told The Guardian that households should create food reserves for cases when they may be forced to remain isolated in their homes until rescue teams arrive.

According to Elizabeth Robinson, professor and environmental economist at the London School of Economics, household supplies should last for about two weeks and should also include water.

Robinson advises choosing long-shelf-life items, including cereals, rice, pasta and canned foods. She stresses that some of these products can be eaten without cooking if the electricity is cut off.

The food reserves should also include canned beans and pulses, fish or meat, canned fruit and vegetables, and long-life milk. These products can be used to prepare simple, nutritious and tasty meals.

The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has drawn up an “emergency kit” listing the basic food and equipment that every household is advised to have.

The listed equipment includes a battery-powered torch, a portable power bank, a battery-operated radio and spare batteries.

The kit should also include a first aid kit, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, bottled water, non-perishable food that does not require cooking, and a can opener.

Households with babies or young children should also think about supplies of nappies and powdered milk.

“Households that have the financial means should secure these supplies and keep them at home for emergencies,” Professor Robinson said. She warned that worsening climate conditions could also lead to higher food prices.

“The United Kingdom depends heavily on imports of fruit and vegetables. We have already seen that extreme weather in countries such as Spain and North Africa can cause shortages and price rises. In general, rice, coffee, cocoa and tea may cost more, while animal feed is expected to see significant increases,” she concluded.

El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon linked to changes in winds and water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. When the ocean surface warms unusually, large amounts of heat are released into the atmosphere, influencing weather patterns in many regions of the world.

Data published on 1 September show that in the central Pacific zone, considered the main El Niño region, water temperatures are about 2.6 degrees Celsius above the average of the last 30 years.

This level is approaching the highest values recorded during the era of modern measurements. In 2015, the difference was around 3.1 degrees Celsius, although at that point the peak of the phenomenon had not yet been reached at this stage of the year.

The average of 14 climate models predicts that in November the temperature could record a deviation of about 4 degrees Celsius.

Climate analyst Zick Hausfather has said that data from studies of corals, tree rings and historical documents show that no El Niño episode in the last millennium has reached such levels.

The phenomenon is classified as El Niño when the sea surface temperature in the relevant Pacific zone is at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above average.

This episode is considered among the strongest recorded in modern history. It is expected to add further heat to an atmosphere that is already warming because of climate change.

The combination of El Niño with global warming could have major consequences worldwide. Some forecasts suggest that 2027 could exceed the current record and become the warmest year ever recorded.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the risk from extreme weather events is increasing.

“El Niño is strengthening more and more before our eyes. Science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters and these waters are warming. The world is in the danger zone for extreme weather events,” Guterres said.

He has stressed that the main challenge is coping with these growing risks, as well as strengthening climate action measures and protecting the population.

Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, has also issued a warning, saying El Niño could deal a “major blow” to societies and economies around the world.

“We are already seeing disruption and damage caused by droughts and floods. As El Niño strengthens, we expect these impacts to intensify,” Saulo said.