UK asks families to stock up on food for El Niño

UK Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Angela Eagle urged people to start stockpiling food as a way of preparing for what will be “probably the biggest El Niño ever seen”. There is an expectation that the phenomenon has a chance of being the biggest in the last 1,000 years and should last until 2027.

“We are about to experience probably the biggest El Niño ever seen, which will lead to drier summers, wetter winters and more extreme storms in this country.”said Eagle in an interview with the newspaper The Guardian published on Thursday night (September 3, 2026). “I think we need to take this seriously”he declared.

El Niño is caused by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean, close to the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. Typically, these waters are colder, while the western Pacific, near Indonesia and Australia, is warmer. When this pattern is reversed, the circulation of the atmosphere is altered, modifying the distribution of winds, clouds and rain in different parts of the planet.

The effects can enhance extreme events.

“If you have a food supply that can sustain you for a while until emergency services arrive, you’re in a much better situation than if you don’t. So part of it is that kind of preparing to be a little more resilient.”said the British secretary.

According to the The Guardianthe British government is prioritizing climate resilience after the hottest summer on record in the UK. A campaign, which should be launched in the coming months, will guide families to stock up on canned food and take measures to ensure they are prepared for the national extreme event scenario.

BRAZIL

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated on Friday (September 4, 2026) that Brazil is prepared to face El Niño. In an interview with Radio Progresso FMin Ceará, the Chief Executive said that the government has been preparing for more than a year for possible impacts from the climate phenomenon.

“I can tell you that there is no country in the world that has taken all the precautions that Brazil has taken. In other words, I don’t know how big El Niño is, but I could say, it could come hot, that we are boiling here (…) we have been preparing for more than a year”he declared.

Lula stated that the government hired staff, purchased vehicles and planes and prepared food stocks to serve regions that eventually face a lack of supply.

Read more: