Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

El Niño is a periodic, worldwide weather phenomenon caused by the Pacific Ocean warming. This year’s pattern is more extreme than it has been for decades and expected to wreak havoc. The European Union has warned that 11 million people are at risk from hunger, disease and lack of water in eastern and southern Africa alone. In west Africa conditions are emerging similar to the severe 1972 drought which devastated the Sahel with famine. During the event drying winds from El Niño tipped the region into full blown drought. I have tabled the question to find out what plans Irish Aid has in place to deal with these expected humanitarian crises and mitigate them before they strike fully.

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