El Niño: Understanding Risks and Preparing Public Safety Responses

El Niño is already creating serious disruption and increasing risks across parts of East and Southern Africa, the Sahel, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Central and South America, with impacts ranging from drought, extreme heat and food insecurity to flooding, displacement and pressure on essential services.

What do these changing conditions mean for public safety — and what should practitioners and policymakers be preparing for?

GLEPHA’s Climate Change and Public Safety Special Interest Group invites you to join an international webinar examining the emerging public safety implications of El Niño.

What the webinar will explore

  • what conditions and disruptions the developing El Niño is expected to bring across different regions, such as drought, flooding, extreme heat, food and water insecurity, displacement and infrastructure disruption
  • how these disruptions can affect communities, vulnerable populations and public safety systems
  • what organizations and practitioners should monitor, coordinate and prepare for as conditions develop

Speakers

Shel Winkley
Weather & Climate Engagement Specialist, Meteorologist
Climate Central

Juliana Betancourt
Violence and Conflict Prevention Advisor
Peace and Recovery Division
International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Rakesh Chand
Senior Superintendent of Police
Director, Community Oriented Policing
Fiji Police Force

Additional speakers and further details on their contributions will be announced shortly.

Date and time

Tuesday, December 1, 2026
12:00 PM — Pacific
3:00 PM — Eastern
8:00 PM — United Kingdom
9:00 PM — Central Europe

Wednesday, December 2
6:00 AM — Papua New Guinea
7:00 AM — Sydney/Melbourne
8:00 AM — Fiji

Duration: 90 minutes
Format: Online webinar

>> Register for the Webinar <<

The webinar will be recorded for those unable to participate live.

We might take screenshots of participants and share to GLEPHA channels for promotional purposes.

Hosted by

GLEPHA’s Climate Change and Public Safety Special Interest Group

In partnership with

The Yorkshire Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence — TYP-ACE, University of Leeds

The Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre

Climate and Public Safety — CAPS, The Action Lab, Northeastern University School of Law

The School of Police Sciences, Södertörn University

Bright Thread