The Looming El Niño Could Cost the World Trillions of Dollars
WiredNov 28, 2022
The Facts
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday that El Niño, a natural climate system that emerges as the Pacific Ocean experiences "warmer-than-average" surface temperatures, is expected to return and strengthen in the coming months.
Climate scientists say this year's El Niño is on track to break global temperature records set when the weather pattern hit in 2016, which triggered deadly heat and precipitation and was linked to rainforest losses, coral bleaching, and a rise in diseases such as cholera and dengue that year.
The Spin
Narrative A
El Niño in-and-of itself is a cause for serious concern in the upcoming year, as it will likely warm the earth by 1.5°C, seen as the climate change tipping point. While one year of warming — caused by a periodic weather pattern — doesn't mean Earth will remain at that temperature, it does give us a glimpse into the climate's future if something isn't done to reverse course. Droughts, crop failure, and severe flooding will still be a part of our lives, but we should work tirelessly to reduce carbon emissions and their apocalyptic consequences.
Narrative B
After warning of an impending drought crisis set to hit the US, climate alarmists suspiciously went quiet after California recorded more precipitation than it had in decades, including a 70-year record of snow in the Sierra Mountains. And, instead of updating infrastructure to allocate this excess water to states like California, Nevada, and Arizona by way of the Colorado River, these water-deficient states are paid billions to reduce water usage. Now that the drought theory is over, it's onto the El Niño headlines to keep the climate change industry going.
