It’s gonna be a record-breaking few months of weather. A natural surge of warm ocean water is colliding with a planet hotter than at any point in human history – meaning more heat, more floods, more droughts. Some think this Super El Niño offers a window into what climate change will bring, and that it could help us prepare for the decades to come.
Scientist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza takes us to Peru, where the phenomenon begins, and where officials have already declared a state of emergency due to heavy, unseasonal rains causing devastation for communities in the Andes and elsewhere. Then, we hear from Andrew Dessler, climate scientist at Texas A&M University, about how this Super El Niño is interacting with climate change and what this year’s weather could teach us about how to adapt to a warmer world.
And we wrap with what this all means for Canada. Bill Merryfield from Environment and Climate Change Canada answers pressing questions about the season ahead – such as, “should I buy a ski pass?”
Guests:
Video:
I’ve tracked El Niño for years. I’ve never seen this before
Background reading:
This episode features a clip from Saturday Night Live, created by Lorne Michaels, performed by Chris Farley, 1997, SNL Studios.