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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityScience & EnvironmentClimate change: El Niño ends with uncertainty over cooler futurePublished36 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage source, Getty ImagesBy Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondentThe powerful El Niño weather event which along with climate change has helped push global temperatures to new highs, has ended, say scientists.The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says the Pacific Ocean has “cooled substantially” in the past week.This naturally occurring episode that began last June brought warmer waters to the surface of the Pacific, adding extra heat to the atmosphere.But what happens next is uncertain, say researchers.A string of recent global monthly high temperature records has led some scientists to fear that the world could be tipping into a new phase of even faster climate change.Scientists say that the months after the end of El Niño will give a strong indication as to whether the recent high temperatures are due to accelerated climate change or not.What is El Niño and how does it change the weather?World’s coral turns white from deadly ocean heatUK food production at threat after extreme floodingEvery few years, the onset of El Niño brings dramatic change to weather in many parts of the world. The surge of warmer water that comes to the surface off the coast of Peru in South America is linked to increased droughts and floods in different parts of the world.The full name of the pattern is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation or ENSO. It’s marked by three different phases, the hot El Niño, neutral conditions or a cooler period called La Niña. This current El Niño was declared last June, and reached a peak in December. The resulting warmer water in the Pacific has helped push global average temperatures to new highs, with March making it ten months in a row to break the record for that period. But now, perhaps quicker than expected, El Niño is gone.The critical question is what happens next and on this scientists are divided. US researchers recently said there was 60% chance of a La Niña developing between June-August, and an 85% chance of this happening by Autumn.But the Australian Bureau say such statements such be treated with caution. They expect neutral conditions to last until at least July. They point to the current hot state of the global oceans which they believe is affecting ENSO. “As the current global ocean conditions have not been observed before, inferences as to how ENSO may develop in 2024 that are based on past events may not be reliable,” they said in a statement. Whether or not a La Niña forms really matters, say researchers. It can have a significant impact on storms and hurricanes, with some experts predicting that if La Niña does arrive, it would herald a highly active hurricane season in the Atlantic.La Niña’s cooling effect may also slightly slow the rate of global heating. That might indicate that the record temperatures experienced over the past year were something of a mystery, and not evidence that the world has moved into a more rapid phase of warming.Related TopicsIntergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeEl NiñoParis climate agreementClimateTop StoriesMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished57 minutes agoLive. 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[ad_1] The natural event that adds to global warming has ended but scientists are unsure of what comes next.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaExtreme heat at work can double stillbirth risk, India study findsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage caption, Cucumber picker Sumathy lost a baby 12 weeks into her pregnancyBy Tulip MazumdarGlobal health correspondentWorking in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India. The study found that the risks to mothers-to-be are significantly higher than previously thought. Researchers say hotter summers can affect not only women in tropical climates, but also in countries such as the UK.They want specific health advice for working pregnant women globally.Eight hundred pregnant women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu took part in the study, which was started in 2017 by the Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai. About half of those who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high levels of heat, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The others worked in cooler environments, such as schools and hospitals, although some workers were also exposed to very high levels of heat in those jobs too.There is no universal threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body.”[The impact of heat] is relative to what you’re used to and what your body’s used to,” says Prof Jane Hirst, one of the scientists who contributed to the study.In the lush green fields of Tiruvannamalai, I meet Sumathy, one of the pregnant women who took part.She removes her thick gloves and stretches out her fingers. She has been picking cucumbers for the past two hours.”My hands burn in this heat,” she tells me, gently caressing her fingertips.Summer hasn’t even started yet, but already it is about 30 degrees here today and feeling hotter with the humidity.Sumathy has to protect her hands from the constant stabbing of the tiny spikes on the cucumbers, but the gloves make her sweat profusely.”My face burns too,” she says.She comes to the cucumber farm before and after her main job, working as a cook in a school, and is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts.India’s Mothers: Bearing the HeatThe BBC’s global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar reports from southern India on new research suggesting heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK only)Sumathy was one of the first recruits. Her baby was also one of the first in the study to die.”I used to feel so exhausted being pregnant and working in the heat,” she says.One day, as Sumathy was dropping off her husband’s lunch, she suddenly started feeling very unwell. That evening, she went to see a doctor who told her she had suffered a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy. “My husband would lay me down on his lap and console me. I don’t know what I would have done without him,” she says.Sumathy talks about her husband with so much love but has had to learn to live without him. He recently died, and she is now the main breadwinner for the family.Sumathy will never know for sure if working in the heat during her pregnancy had anything to do with her losing her first child. But overall, the study found that women who worked in similar conditions as her were twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage than those working in cooler environments.Important for women all over the worldThe pregnant women in the study in India really are “at the forefront of experiencing climate change,” says Prof Hirst, who is a UK-based consultant obstetrician, and Professor of Global Women’s Health at medical research organisation The George Institute.Earth’s average temperature is projected to rise by nearly three degrees by the end of the century, compared with pre-industrial times, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of “an existential threat to all of us” with pregnant women facing “some of the gravest consequences”.Image caption, Rekha Shanmugam measures the daytime heat in sugar cane fields in TiruvannamalaiPrevious studies have shown about a 15% rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth during heatwaves, but these have generally been conducted in high-income countries such as the US and Australia. The latest findings from India are particularly stark and worrying, says Prof Hirst, and have wider implications. “The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects [on pregnancies] can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK.” However, she adds, they do need to be “kept in perspective”. Even with a doubling of risk, experiencing baby loss is still going to be a “rare event for most women”.How does extreme heat affect pregnant women? Listen to The Climate Question podcast on BBC Sounds nowThere is currently no official international advice for pregnant working women in the heat. The main guidance that does exist for hot-weather working, is based on studies involving a man in the US military in the 1960s and 70s, weighing 70-75kg and with 20% body fat. Prof Hirst hopes this study, and further research, will change that. In the meantime, Prof Hirst and Prof Vidhya Venugopal, from the Faculty of Public Health at SRIHER, who led the research on India, say pregnant women working in the heat can protect themselves by:Avoiding prolonged periods in the heatTaking regular shade breaks if working outdoors on hot daysAvoiding exercising or sunbathing for long periods in the hottest part of the dayKeeping hydrated with waterFor the study in India, the researchers used what is called the wet-bulb-globe-temperature (WBGT), which measures the effects of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat on human bodies.WBGT readings are often lower than the temperatures you might see forecast on the TV or a weather app.The safe heat threshold for people doing heavy work is 27.5C WBGT, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ‘No choice but to work out in the sun’ India is predicted to become one of the first countries in the world where temperatures will top the safe limit for healthy people who are simply resting in the shade, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.The number of hot days and hot nights (when the body struggles to recover from daytime heat) is also projected to double or even quadruple in India by 2050.In the sugarcane fields of Tiruvannamalai, Rekha Shanmugam, a former nurse and one of the SRIHER study’s researchers, is measuring the daytime heat.Around us, a couple of dozen workers – about half of them women – hack down thick stems of cane with small machetes. “These women often have no choice but to work out in the sun – they need the money,” says Ms Shanmugam.She pours water into a gauge and presses various buttons. It shows a WBGT temperature of 29.5C – that’s above the safe threshold for doing this type of physically demanding work in the heat.”If the workers continue for prolonged periods in this level of heat, they are more prone to heat-related illnesses, and it’s especially concerning for pregnant women,” she tells me. Image caption, Women like Sandhiya make up the backbone of India’s informal workforceSandhiya, 28, tells me she has no choice but to do this type of back-breaking work for which she gets paid about 600 rupees, just under £6 a day. She has two young children and an extended family to feed. Sandhiya also took part in the study – and lost her first child six months into her pregnancy.She had to take several months off work to recover and says she is still paying off the debts she racked up during that time.”All my desires centre around my children,” Sandhiya tells me. “I want them to study well and get good jobs. They shouldn’t end up toiling here in the fields like me.”The problem of peeingThe mechanisms around how and why heat impacts pregnant women and their growing babies in this troubling way are not well understood.A previous study in The Gambia found high temperatures could raise foetal heart rate and slow blood flow through the umbilical cord.One theory is that when the mother gets too hot, blood could be diverted away from the foetus, to help cool the mother down.Ms Shanmugam thinks a lack of toilets may also be playing a part.She says a previous study found many women didn’t want to squat in an open field to relieve themselves and so would avoid drinking water, developing urinary problems as a result. “They worry about insects and snakes in the bushes, or men peeping to look at them,” she says.”They often don’t feel safe, so they’ll just hold it in for the whole day and then finally go to the toilet when they get home.”Finding solutions India has made huge improvements to maternal and baby health in recent years, but the stillbirth rate is still 12.2 per 1,000 births, according to data from the World Bank Group. In the UK the rate is 2.7. The findings of the study in Tamil Nadu are being taken very seriously, says Dr TS Selbavinayagam, the state’s director for public health.”We already offer financial compensation to pregnant women, but maybe we need to look at options for giving alternative employment too,” he says. The state government offers poorer women 18,000 rupees (£170) when they reach 12 weeks of pregnancy, to try to ease some of their financial pressures. However, much of the power to protect these low-paid workers rests with workplace bosses.Image caption, Thillai Bhasker has erected steel roofs to provide much-needed shade for his brick kiln workersOn the outskirts of Chennai, Thillai Bhasker – a brick-kiln owner – has erected giant steel roofs with special heat-protective coatings on them, to provide his workers with much-needed shade. He’s been taking advice on better protecting workers from researchers at SRIHER.”Business owners should be smart enough to know how to retain the employees,” he says. “If you take care of them, they will take care of you.”He also told us he was planning to build women-only toilets. Some organisations are also offering education sessions on the simple steps women can take to better protect themselves in the heat. Insulated bottles are also being made available to keep drinking water cool.Sumathy had no choice but to continue to work in extreme heat when she became pregnant again within a couple of years of her miscarriage. But she got specific advice from doctors and the SRIHER researchers on how to better protect herself. Sumathy gave birth to a healthy daughter and son. Tonight – after her long shift – she will return home to them. Exhausted, anxious, but so grateful they are there.Follow @TulipMazumdar on XIf you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice isavailable via the BBC Action Line.What questions do you have about this story? We’ll be answering them later today. In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in. Related TopicsMiscarriageTamil NaduClimateIndiaPregnancyTop StoriesLive. US accuses Apple of monopolising smartphone marketLive. Which women might get state pension compensation? Your questions answeredInterest rate cuts ‘on the way’, says Bank bossPublished37 minutes agoFeaturesUK sees biggest increase in poverty for 30 yearsNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodies’I go to bed with an empty stomach’ – Haiti hunger spreadsA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingThe new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsThe boy killed by his ‘sadistic’ motherHow climate change made Easter eggs pricier’Our school has been crumbling for 20 years’Poland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024Elsewhere on the BBCWhat’s the key to literary success for Phillip Pullman?The author of His Dark Materials shares the advice he would give his younger selfAttributionSoundsGlobal glamazons start your engines!Catch up on all the the jaw-dropping looks and unforgettable performances before the grand finale…AttributioniPlayerThe fresh face of FerrariJennie Gow and the team look back on the Saudi Arabian Grand PrixAttributionSoundsFestivals, flamenco and old friendsStrictly’s dancing duo Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice take to the streets of sunny SpainAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane statue revealed before going on display2Bank boss says UK interest rate cut ‘on the way’3Mum guilty of murdering scalded and caned son4Toddler steals the show during Queen’s NI visit5Terminally ill grandad scoops £1m lottery prize6More than 500 migrants arrive in small boats7TV’s Julie Goodyear slowly fading away, says husband8Cows turn heads as they bring town to a standstill9Knives Out director pays tribute to acting ‘legend’10Kermit the Frog honoured in new fossil find](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/5E90/production/_132980242_3img_1014.jpg)
