A minister in Andy Burnham's government has told UK households to stock up on food and water supplies after the UN warned of a 'supersize' El Niño. Angela Eagle, the Labour environment secretary, urged people to be 'a bit more resilient' and to prepare for national emergencies.
Speaking to the Guardian, Eagle said: “We’re about to experience probably the largest El Niño that has ever been seen, and that will lead to drier summers, wetter winters, with more extreme storms in this country.” She added: “It will do a lot more damage in Asia with flooding, and therefore I think that we need to take it seriously.”
Households urged to prepare for days without power or water
Eagle advised people to keep a store of food that could sustain them until emergency services arrive. “If you’ve got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going for a while before the emergency services can get to you, you’re going to be a lot better off than if you haven’t. So some of it is that kind of preparation for just being a bit more resilient,” she said.
The advice follows a UN statement that the El Niño climate phenomenon is “supersizing before our eyes”. UN secretary general António Guterres said: “The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up. The world is in the danger zone of extreme weather. The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people. We must win that race.”
UN warns of massive blow to communities and economies
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), warned that “El Niño has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world.” She noted that disruption from droughts and floods is already visible and expected to increase as El Niño intensifies.
Saulo added: “Never before in the 50-year history of the WMO have we launched such a major mobilisation with national meteorological and hydrological services who are on the frontline of delivering the forecasts and services to save lives and livelihoods. We have no time to lose.”
UK farmers face worst harvest on record in 2026
Chris Jaccarini, of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit in the UK, said extreme weather worldwide has driven up food prices, hitting the poorest hardest. “This is not just the food we import, but also what we grow at home,” he said.
Jaccarini added: “After five heatwaves and widespread drought, British arable farmers are now facing the worst harvest on record in 2026. And yet, without action, these could be the good years. Unless we rapidly cut emissions and strengthen resilience, climate change impact will continue to worsen with El Niño turbocharging the trend every few years.”
