Godzilla El Niño: Up to 3.6°C Temperature Rise
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- Climate scientists interviewed by The Guardian have nicknamed this year's El Niño 'Godzilla' because of its predicted intensity, warning it could push 2026 toward the hottest year on record.
- The El Niño phenomenon could raise global temperatures by up to 3.6°C according to experts cited in the video explainer.
- Environment correspondent Damien Gayle produced a 2:58 video explainer speaking with climate scientists about how the weather event and the climate crisis together pose a 'huge threat to the planet.'
- The Guardian's coverage frames the combination of El Niño and ongoing global heating as a compounding threat, with the outlet linking to related reporting on potential food price shocks lasting into 2028.
- Scientists quoted in the piece state that 'the Earth keeps getting hotter,' using the Godzilla nickname to underscore the event's exceptional projected strength relative to prior El Niño cycles.
Why it matters: If the predicted 3.6°C temperature rise materializes, 2026 could surpass prior heat records on the back of a single seasonal weather event compounding decades of baseline warming — and The Guardian's own linked reporting warns the fallout could include food price shocks lasting into 2028.
