DENR ‘worried’ over El Niño threat to marine env’t

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is watching out for possible coral bleaching and other adverse impacts to the marine environment due to a “very strong” El Niño, whose effects are expected to be felt early next year.

“On the sea surface, we are also worrying about how this extreme heat could affect marine ecosystems,” said Noralene Uy, assistant secretary for policy, planning, international affairs and climate at the DENR.

“In the past, there has been an influence on the coral reefs. There was coral bleaching that happened. Those events are what we are looking out for at this time,” she said in an interview on Tuesday on the sidelines of a disaster risk reduction summit hosted by the DENR.

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El Niño refers to warmer-than-normal ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.

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READ: ‘Unprecedented’ mass bleaching drains life from Australian reef

Aside from coral reefs, Uy noted that the extreme heat could also impact fish nurseries within mangroves, potentially affecting fisherfolk and food production.

Changing sea temperatures can also lead to red tide, referring to the discoloration of waters due to high algal biomass or concentration of algae, which can cause harmful effects to the environment, living organisms and humans.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued an advisory last month that a very strong El Niño was likely to emerge between September and December 2026, and may continue until the first half of 2027.

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Record-breaking

As of September, it has already observed dry conditions, dry spells and drought in several areas in the country.

While there have been similar events in the past, the DENR official said it was the first time that she has encountered a “very strong” El Niño.

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“[…] The other times, like in 1998, 2003, [and] 2004, it was just ‘strong.’ And now it turns out that there’s a ‘very strong’ category,” she said.

“Temperatures are always record-breaking … It’s really because of climate change that’s why this is happening. That’s why there is really a certain fear of what will happen to us, and it’s not just the Philippines experiencing this. It’s all over the world,” said Uy.

She said the DENR has been coordinating with other agencies to mitigate the potential effects across various sectors, such as agriculture and health.

Earlier this month, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 106 cities and municipalities across the country have been officially placed under a state of calamity as El Niño continued to intensify.

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“We are prepared, but [we don’t know] if that is enough?” Uy said. /cb