Australia bracing for hazardous summer amid ‘super El Niño’, Albanese says

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned the country could face a dangerous summer of floods, cyclones and extreme heat as a potential “super El Niño” threatens the Pacific.

Speaking at a climate summit in Fiji ahead of COP31, Albanese said the expected extreme weather showed the growing impact of climate change across Australia and vulnerable Pacific island nations.

“Climate change is not a problem for the future. It is here right now, and we know that sea levels here in the western Pacific are rising at more than twice the global average. We know also that the forecast of super El Niño may test us all,” Albanese said, according to The Guardian.

“In Australia, we are expecting a summer of floods, of cyclones, of extreme heat, and extreme behaviour…The science told us that if we didn’t act to address global emissions this is precisely what would occur, and tragically that is playing out.”

His comments followed a visit by national and global leaders to Tuvalu, one of the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Leaders called for faster emissions cuts and increased funding to help Pacific island nations adapt to climate change.