Are we ready for a super El Niño?
Scientists warn this could be one of the strongest El Niños on record. With floods, droughts and extreme heat looming, how prepared are communities for what's ahead?
When a powerful El Niño strikes, it can devastate harvests, flood communities and kill thousands of people. Scientists have been warning for months that this one could become the strongest on record. The question is: are we ready?
In this episode of The Climate Question, hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar find out how communities in Kenya and Peru are preparing for a potentially historic El Niño.
They speak to Âé¶¹Éç Nairobi Correspondent Thomas Mukhwana and Miguel Aristegui from the international development charity Practical Action about the challenges that lie ahead. Miguel's charity worked with the Peruvian government on an action plan it introduced after a localised El Niño event in 2017.
From flood-prone neighbourhoods in Nairobi to Peru's newly installed meteorological radar network, we explore what happens when weather extremes collide with existing vulnerabilities. Can early warning systems, emergency planning and climate adaptation reduce the risks? Or will many communities remain exposed when the worst impacts arrive?
If you have a Climate Question you’d like answered, email: TheClimateQuestion@bbc.com
Producers: Diane Richardson, Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound engineer: Ben Andrews, Ricardo McCarthy and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts
Last on
More episodes
Featured
-
.
Broadcasts
- Sun 11 Oct 2026 13:06GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Sun 11 Oct 2026 13:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service News Internet
- Sun 11 Oct 2026 21:06GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Wed 14 Oct 2026 01:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Wed 14 Oct 2026 08:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Wed 14 Oct 2026 19:06GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Sat 17 Oct 2026 04:32GMTLive News- Sat 17 Oct 2026 04:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service East Asia
Podcast
-
The Climate Question
Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.