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are still experiencing food shortages as a result of the current drought. According to the forecast of Drew Lerner, president of World Weather, coffee and cocoa producers will be affected on the Indonesian island of Java and in the province of South Sumatra. Moreover, the situation worsens in Singapore, New Guinea and Borneo, where intense fires occur due to the lack of rains caused by El Niño. DROUGHT OR RAIN? Drought in Kenya could lead to a decrea-
WHAT IS EL NIÑO? IT IS A PHENOMENON caused by the warming of the equatorial Pacific caused by weakening trade winds that normally push sun-warmed waters to the west. As a result, there is a reaction in the atmosphere that covers a large area. The name traces back hundreds of years to the coast of Peru, where fishermen noticed the Pacific Ocean sometimes warmed in late December, around Christmas. The last time there was an El Niño of similar magnitude to the current one, the record-setting event of 1997-1998, floods, fires, droughts and other calamities killed at least 30,000 people and caused $100 billion in damage. That time, the phenomenon caused climate chaos worldwide. During that period, heavy storms that hit the United States caused floods and landslides, while in Indonesia there was a severe drought that generated intense forest fires. Another powerful El Niño, in 1918-19, sank India into a brutal drought and probably contributed to the global flu pandemic. MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 18 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia
se of 10% in tea crop yield. At the same time, El Niño usually causes rains in eastern Africa. According to statistics from the Bureau of Meteorology of Australia, many of the phenomena produced since 1900 have caused severe drought in Australia. However, it is expected that heavy rains in California could improve the situation of the state, which has been affected by drought for 4 years. Although heavy rains would benefit California, they would also worsen the damage caused by citrus greening, a disease that threatens the harvest of oranges and arises from moist environments. According to the forecast of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, next year orange production in Florida will be reduced to its minimum over the last 52 years. The climate impact of El Niño around the world will continue into the early months of 2016, reaching its maximum intensity between November 2015 and January 2016. However, there is over 90% chance that El Niño will last throughout winter 2015-2016 in the northern hemisphere and 85% chance that it will last until the spring of 2016 l