El Nino may take $3-trn toll on global economy
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi: El Nino is on the horizon, which can lead to severe heat waves and droughts in many countries, including India, and could take a $3 trillion toll on the global economy, new research published in the journal Science has warned.
El Nino, the band of warm ocean water that spans from South America to Asia triggering far-reaching weather changes, has persistently reduced country-level economic growth, attributing $4.1 trillion and $5.7 trillion in global income losses to the 1982-83 and 1997-98 events, respectively.
The 2023 El Nino is predicted to come at a time when sea-surface temperatures are at an all-time high, according to the research.
“The last major El Nino occurred in 2016 and made that year the hottest in recorded history. Global warming has only intensified in the seven years since. In addition, the world is coming out of an extended La Nina and the two phases can strengthen each other,” the researchers wrote.
