Costing the Earth - El Nino: Driving the Planet's Weather

Download El Nino: Driving the Planet's Weather

Meteorologist, Peter Gibbs investigates the global impact of the weather phenomenon El Nino. Forecasts predict El Nino will occur at the end of this year, creating fear in many communities around the world.

Flooding, drought and famine have all been caused by the phenomenon in the past. Peruvian fishermen are often the first to notice as warmer waters change the behaviour of coastal fish stocks. Peter hears what they've already noticed and finds out how these changes could have ripple effects around the world. The anchovies in Peruvian waters are caught to feed farmed salmon but they're also an important food source for seabirds. The warm waters could also cause an imbalance in marine life and weather changes that will impact on global crop yields.

Peter Gibbs looks into the possible impacts of El Nino, how long it would take to recover and what's being done to prepare.

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock.

Published on Tuesday, 16th September 2014.

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