Climate News Today — September 18, 2026

As El Niño intensifies and threatens to bring severe weather conditions to various parts of the world, particularly in Asia, governments and policymakers are being urged to take more decisive action on climate change. The phenomenon is expected to have far-reaching consequences, including floods in Nepal and Tibet, which have already made headlines. While some leaders, like Andy Burnham, are emphasizing the need for the UK to fully commit to reaching net zero by 2050, others are criticizing governments for not taking the climate crisis seriously enough, despite the mounting evidence.

The growing awareness of the climate crisis among the general public presents an opportunity for collective action, as seen in the UK where Andy Burnham is working to empower people to tackle the issue. Meanwhile, state elections in the US could have significant implications for climate and energy policy, potentially shaping the country's transition to a low-carbon economy. As the climate crisis continues to manifest in extreme weather events, it remains to be seen whether governments will respond with sufficient urgency and ambition to mitigate its impacts. Today's news highlights the need for sustained pressure on leaders to prioritize climate action and ensure a safer, more sustainable future.

Today's signal:
• El Niño is supersizing! Are governments finally taking climate change seriously? No! | First Dog on the Moon (theguardian.com)
• ‘Forcing a reckoning’: How Asia is preparing for a ‘supersized’ El Niño (theguardian.com)
• The Guardian view on the Nepal-Tibet floods: a spur to action on climate | Editorial (theguardian.com)
• These State Elections Could Reshape Climate and Energy Policy (insideclimatenews.org)
• British people understand the climate crisis threat. Today I’m empowering them to tackle it | Andy Burnham (theguardian.com)
• Andy Burnham: UK must fully commit to reaching net zero by 2050 (theguardian.com)