From drought to deluge: ‘Super’ El Niño’s expanding reach

Across Papua New Guinea, water sources are drying up, crops are failing and food prices are rising months before the worst agricultural impacts are expected. Behind those warning signs is an El Niño whose Pacific Ocean temperatures have already surpassed the equivalent measurements during the historic 1997 and 2015 events – part of an unfolding climate pattern being dubbed a “Super El Niño” by some climate watchers.Fast factsMore than 347 million children in nearly 100 countries and territories are expected to experience unusually wet or dry conditions between October and December 2026 due to El Niño, increasing the risk of extreme floods and droughts with potentially devastating consequences, according to latest UNICEF data.Here are highlights of the risks facing children:As extreme weather events become more widespread, youngsters could face increased risks of family separation, violence, exploitation and child marriageColombia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines are among those expected to experience drier conditions that could likely to lead to drought and water scarcity, increasing displacement and worsening acute malnutritionIn the Greater Horn of Africa, wetter-than-...