EL Nino in 2015 Could be the Most Severe on Record, WFP Warns That It May Cause Widespread Global Hunger (For the Media)

The current El Niño is one of the strongest on the record and its impact on food security illustrates the need to increase investment in disaster risk reduction, early warning, climate change adaptation and resilience building. El Niño refers to a pattern of unusually warm water stretching across the surface of the Pacific Ocean. It occurs every 3-7 years. During an El Niño event, the relationship between winds and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean changes, modifying weather conditions around the world. The resulting changes in rainfall and temperature affect crop and pasture development across many of the areas where WFP works. It is possible that WFP will be stretched operationally and financially during 2016 when the impact of the El Niño event translates into increased food assistance needs across most of our areas of operation.