We, representatives of social movements, non-governmental organizations, organized collectives, organizations of indigenous peoples, traditional communities, Afro-descendant peoples, socio-environmental and climate researchers and activists, express our concern regarding the reports and mathematical projections that point to extreme climate events associated with the El Niño phenomenon in the 2026/2027 period. According to news released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UN World Meteorological Organization, El Niño is predicted to intensify to a moderate/strong level this year and could cause extreme weather conditions.

Over the last decade (2016-2025), banks have provided 429 billion dollars in credit to activities related to the exploitation of timber, soy, rubber, pulp and paper, palm oil and beef. Sectors which are responsible for commodity-driven deforestation of tropical forests. It is well established that these agricultural and forestry activities contribute to the risk and impact of fires and haze through the use of fire in their land management systems, deforestation and draining peatlands. These practices induce vicious feedback loops by drying out the forests and peatlands, creating tinder-box conditions which enable fires to spread rapidly.

As a result, tropical forest countries are facing increased vulnerabilities as climate change exacerbates extreme weather events and the El Niño cycle. The disruptions from the El Niño cycle are expected to be most severe in the tropics, with predictions that increased wildfires and drought could hit agriculture and food production. When forests and peatlands burn, the consequences reach far beyond the fires or even the country borders.