This is exactly the kind of wake-up call we've been warned about — a supersized El Niño stacked on top of a warming planet is a recipe for faster, fiercer disasters that will hit the poorest and most vulnerable first and worst. The science is clear: natural variability is being amplified by human-driven warming, and that means drought, floods, wildfires, collapsing fisheries and disrupted trade routes (the Panama Canal impact is a reminder that no economy is immune). We need two urgent, linked responses: massive, immediate investment in adaptation and solidarity for communities on the frontline — early-warning systems, social safety nets, water management, emergency health support, debt relief and real funding for loss and damage — and a rapid, equitable transition away from fossil fuels. That means ending subsidies for oil and gas, accelerating renewables and public transit, protecting workers with just-transition plans, and holding corporations and rich countries accountable for their historic emissions. Politicians who treat this as a distant or seasonal problem must be challenged now. Support scientists and local knowledge, center Indigenous and frontline voices in planning, and demand climate finance that’s fast, flexible and fair. This is about survival and justice — we can’t afford business as usual.