Expert warns El Niño and climate change are amplifying global weather extremes
Gareth Redmond-King of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit says climate change is making the climate system more unstable, and El Niño amplifies that disruption. He warns that extreme heat, drought, storms, and flooding in Europe are becoming the new normal. Governments are not adequately prepared for these increasingly common events.
Gareth Redmond-King, head of the international programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, warns that climate change is introducing greater instability into the climate system itself, beyond simply intensifying individual weather events. Natural cyclical phenomena like El Niño then act as amplifiers, magnifying the disruption caused by a warming planet and making dangerous extremes considerably more severe.
For Europe, this convergence means the heatwaves, droughts, water shortages, storms, and flash flooding witnessed in recent seasons should be viewed as the emerging baseline rather than anomalies. Redmond-King stresses that governments across the continent remain inadequately prepared for the frequency and intensity of these events, which are increasingly affecting agriculture, infrastructure, and daily life.
European communities may face mounting pressure on public health systems, agriculture, and emergency services as extreme weather becomes more routine. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly and outdoor workers, could bear the heaviest burden during heatwaves, while farmers may struggle with water scarcity and crop losses. Insurers and local governments could see rising costs from flood and fire damage, potentially straining public budgets and reshaping how cities plan infrastructure and emergency response for a less predictable climate.