{
  "id": 9355071,
  "title": "El Niño could cause 451,000 more heat deaths compared to normal year, group says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/el-nino-could-cause-451-000-more-heat-deaths-compared-to-normal-year",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T14:58:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/el-nino-451000-more-heat-deaths-report-map-areas-at-risk/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new report from the University of Chicago's Climate Impact Lab predicts that the current El Niño could lead to 451,000 additional heat-related deaths compared to a normal year, on top of the impacts from droughts, wildfires, and flooding. This figure could become the highest on record if the El Niño remains the strongest ever. The research hub says the greatest impacts are expected in countries of the Global South, with Nigeria, Sudan, Niger, and Chad potentially seeing over 65,000 heat-related deaths combined. The Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia are forecast to experience around 40,000 deaths in total, while Brazil and India could face significant tolls as well. Michael Greenstone, a cofounder of the Climate Impact Lab, emphasized that these deaths could be anyone's loved ones, highlighting the urgency of addressing the issue. El Niño, characterized by above-average ocean temperatures in a section of the Pacific near the equator, influences extreme weather events worldwide. Meteorologists have been warning of its potentially historic consequences since it began at the start of summer. The World Meteorological Organization forecast earlier in the month that this El Niño could become the strongest on record, with its most severe impacts still ahead. The U.S.-based Climate Prediction Center expects El Niño to persist through the Northern Hemisphere's winter and possibly into spring. The report from the Climate Impact Lab aims to help decision-makers and humanitarian organizations allocate resources to save lives by implementing measures such as heat warnings, health outreach, cooling centers, hydration stations, worker protections, and enhanced health system capacity.",
  "summary": "Researchers project nearly half a million more heat-related deaths from June 2026 to February 2027 compared with a typical year, as a result of El Niño.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}