There’s no escaping the El Nino. Here’s how ASEAN can blunt its fire and fury

Memories can become hazy after a decade. But 10 years ago, the skies over Singapore and across the region were blackened as the 2015 to 2016 El Nino cycle set off severe fires and sent a pall of choking smoke across South-east Asia. Singapore sweltered through a heatwave during that period and schools were forced to close at one point as the haze reached dangerous levels. Like the fire-breathing monster of Japanese movie fame that surfaces again and again, the El Nino weather pattern comes and goes in cycles. It’s now coming back. Scientists warn that the 2026 El Nino…