2026 is one of the hottest years on record, and the effects of abnormal high temperatures are already felt across the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Scientists are warning that warmer ocean temperatures will fuel a supercharged El Niño, exacerbating heat waves and wildfires in the Northern hemisphere, and extreme weather events such as droughts and heavy rainfall in the South. Countries most affected by these impacts need both systematic and systemic support to respond effectively to risks to food security, water availability and water quality.
A 2026 super-charged El Niño
The World Meteorological Organisation issued a statement early June, as Europe was already experiencing its first heatwave: “Fueled by unusually warm ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, El Niño conditions are developing and are set to influence global temperature and rainfall patterns, increasing the risk of extreme weather over the coming months.” El Niño is a regular phenomenon, but scientists around the world are concerned that this year, high ocean temperatures are going to supercharge its impacts. As UN Secretary General said in his warning message in June “ The only effective response is climate action equal to the crisis.”
But what is an effective climate action?
The call for a long-term approach
It might be tempting – and immediately needed - to respond to a crisis with emergency action. But the reality of a warming climate is that current weather anomalies will gradually become the norm. What may be the warmest year on record today might well be one of the coolest for years to come. While communities adapt by drawing on lived experience, indigenous and local knowledge to manage livelihood assets, this capability is eroding due to loss and damage from climate hazards such as floods. Adapting to harsher climate conditions is a social, ecological and economic necessity, and for the Least Developed Countries, it is a survival issue.
Despite repeated calls for increased support, both quantity and quality of climate finance for adaptation fall way short of what LDCs need. Specifically, building adaptation and resilience requires long-term, holistic, forward-looking approaches that are still lacking today.
LIFE-AR's response
To address this, the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience was developed in 2019 by the LDC Climate Change Group with a view to channel a greater share of climate finance to the communities most affected by climate impacts, while strengthening the capacity of LDCs to invest in locally identified adaptation priorities and to support access to climate funds. LIFE-AR is implemented in a phased approach, aiming for long-term sustainability, with three main phases to allow countries enough time to set up or adapt their institutional and financial arrangements and build their capabilities prior to investing.
LIFE-AR’s goal is to support countries in developing the institutional, governance and financial systems through which climate finance is planned, allocated and implemented. These “delivery mechanisms” aim to:
- Embed climate finance within government planning and budgeting systems
- Strengthen institutions and coordination across sectors and levels of government
- Enable inclusive decision-making involving communities and local governments
- Channel at least 70% of climate finance to local-level investments
- Support long-term resilience rather than short-term project approaches
These mechanisms are designed to be flexible. Therefore, while targeted for long term resilience, LIFE-AR’s holistic, adaptative, participatory and tested delivery mechanisms can be applied in new locations as previously resilient geographic areas suffer with the impacts of El Niño or similar climate events.
Building community resilience
As a consequence of long-term, concerted and holistic planning, adaptation investments carefully selected by communities based on experienced and anticipated climate risks are relevant to address the impacts of this year’s El Niño. These may include heavy rainfall leading to flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage, or extreme temperatures resulting in severe drought, crop failure, and water scarcity.
For example, in case of heavy rainfall, in Uganda, the construction of climate-resilient community access roads, with a strong emphasis on drainage systems to reduce flood impacts will ensure continuous access to schools and market with little disruption, while agroforestry interventions will help reduce flood risks and improve landscape resilience. In Malawi and The Gambia, the construction of dykes in key areas aim to prevent the worst effects of flooding and erosion. To address droughts, communities in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia have opted for reforestation, soils restoration, micro-irrigation systems or potable water supply investments. In addition, all LIFE-AR countries have directed investments towards strengthening livelihoods through diversification of revenues for households, or savings from energy consumption, including economic resilience as a key driver to support communities’ recovery after climate shocks.
The impacts of this year’s anticipated super-charged El Niño are a stark warning for the years to come. To face a climate crisis like El Niño, long-term interventions have their place alongside short-term emergency responses. LIFE-AR’s example can show that the right mix of long-term resilience and adaptation interventions can help communities face the worst impacts, or support a quicker recovery.
