Economists are warning that a “super” El Niño weather cycle this year could cause a severe shock to global food prices lasting into 2028.

As the Iran war pushes up world food prices to the highest level in three years, economists said supply chains faced “two shocks at once” stoked by extreme weather linked to global heating.

Scientists have said the 2026-27 El Niño – which forms when changes in wind patterns allow warmer water to spread across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific – has a historically unprecedented chance of developing into a “very strong” event fuelling heatwaves, flooding and stormier weather.

  • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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    12 days ago

    There’s no reason for food prices to change. The food industry is already subsidized to handle fluctuations. This is one more excuse at price gouging to boost corporate profits.

  • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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    12 days ago

    Informally described as a “super” or “Godzilla” El Niño, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed last month warming conditions were taking hold in the Pacific andthat there was a 63% chance of sea surface temperatures exceeding 2C above normal later this year.

    Is it me or are these names starting to sound less scientific

  • cheeki@lemmy.ml
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    12 days ago

    Oh yeah, the food crysis in the west is definitely not due to the loss of high quality fertilizers from the gulf and Russia.