Weekend Listen: Is the world prepared for a 'super' El Niño?
Summary
Host Akshat Rathi interviews Columbia University Professor Ming Fang Ting about a predicted "Super El Niño" and its global impacts. They discuss how this natural phenomenon, amplified by human-caused climate change, will likely trigger extreme heatwaves, droughts, and floods. The episode also addresses political attacks on climate science and the role of attribution studies in linking extreme weather to fossil fuel emissions.
Topics discussed
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Introduction to the 'Super El Nino' and its historical context
The science behind El Nino and La Nina cycles
Measuring El Nino strength and current forecasts
How climate change interacts with El Nino intensity
Historical impacts: The 1877 Great Famine vs. today
Recent El Nino events and extreme heat waves
Global impacts: Droughts, floods, and wildfires
Why no two El Ninos are exactly the same
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Political attacks on climate science and funding
Extreme weather attribution science and communication
Sound of the week and closing credits
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