This publication reports on the current drought moving through the Pacific Islands, brought by one of the strongest El Niño events since record. It describes regional environmental and sociopolitical impacts of El Niño mainly in freshwater supply, food supply and human health.

Ahead of COP21 in Paris, countries have tabled their emissions reductions pledges in the form of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). New Oxfam-commissioned research, carried out by Climate Analytics, uses modelling to assess the impact of aggregate INDC ambition.

The global average surface temperature in 2015 is likely to be the warmest on record and to reach the symbolic and significant milestone of 1° Celsius above the pre-industrial era. This is due to a combination of a strong El Niño and human-induced global warming, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The long-term rise in global temperatures, the dominant cause of which is the anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases, combined with the effects of a developing El Niño, have resulted in unusual global warmth in 2015.