El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office

# Why This Matters The Met Office's forecast of a record-breaking El Niño carries immediate consequences for global food security and economic stability. El Niño disrupts agricultural production across the world's major breadbaskets—droughts will intensify in Southeast Asia and Australia while excessive rainfall threatens crops in South America—driving up prices for staple grains and proteins that hundreds of millions of people depend on. Beyond agriculture, the warming effect amplifies existing climate impacts: coral bleaching will accelerate, particularly in already-vulnerable regions like the Great Barrier Reef; water scarcity will worsen in drought-prone areas from East Africa to the southwestern United States; and heat waves could exceed the physiological tolerance of outdoor workers and vulnerable populations in tropical and subtropical regions. For policymakers and investors, this projection demands immediate action on climate adaptation and food system resilience, as the financial and humanitarian costs of delayed response will compound significantly if 2027 arrives as the hottest year on record while infrastructure and supply chains remain unprepared.