RAZOR: The Super El Niño & Climate Change

As climate systems grow increasingly volatile across the globe, one phenomenon continues to drive extreme weather on a planetary scale: El Niño. El Niño is a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean that disrupts global weather systems, often triggering extreme events including floods, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, crop failure, and economic instability around the world. This year early forecasts are pointing to it being one of the worst yet, with many calling it a 'Super' El Niño.

In this episode of RAZOR, Neil Cairns explores the upcoming El Niño event through the perspective of one of the world’s leading climate scientists, Professor Adam Scaife. The conversation explores why El Niño develops, why this cycle matters more than ever in a warming world, and what scientists are now seeing in the data. El Niño typically brings more stormy, wet weather to the southern coasts of North and South America, the Horn of Africa and China, raising the risk of flooding. Disastrous effects can continue after El Niño has peaked.

Also discussed is this year's extreme weather. So far in 2026, the UK and Europe have experienced historic, record-breaking weather patterns. The year has been defined by a succession of extreme heatwaves and 14,000 people may have died as a result of the unprecedented temperatures in early summer.

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