This El Niño will bring predictable disasters, so why aren’t we ready?

El Niño, a climate phenomenon causing extreme weather patterns worldwide, is becoming more predictable due to its historical impacts. For instance, all eight strong El Niños over the past seven decades have resulted in droughts in Indonesia and have been forecasted to bring about similar conditions in the current record-breaking event.

This predictability raises questions about why many countries aren't adequately prepared for the disasters that inevitably follow. Indonesia, for example, is grappling with worsening drought and wildfires, while many nations - including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia - lack sufficient grain reserves to mitigate food shortages.

Vulnerable countries like Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan have plans in place to combat hunger and death, yet donor nations have contributed only one-third of the required funding. Preparedness could hinge on investing in public infrastructure, as the UK's overflowing sewers and US/European power grid failures during regular conditions demonstrate.

While some suggest geoengineering to soften El Niño's worst effects, the ultimate solution lies in reducing carbon emissions to curb global warming and eliminate the threat entirely.