Climate Impact Lab projects about 450,000 deaths linked to El Niño-related heat, drought, wildfires and flooding. The timeline is unclear: it cites a six-month estimate but also says deaths are likely during the event’s first nine months, June through February.
Other regional projections include 66,800 additional deaths across Africa’s Sahel, nearly half in Nigeria, and thousands of heat-related deaths in Sudan, Niger and Chad. The report also projects 19,400 deaths across the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia; 19,300 in Indonesia; 15,800 in India; and 13,300 in Brazil. Its estimate includes Nepal’s recent floods, which killed at least 300 people and left hundreds missing.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sept. 21 to mobilize resources ahead of potential winter impacts from a “super El Niño.” The article says the phenomenon could bring record-breaking storms to the West Coast.
