Caracas, December 22 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Venezuelan authorities have launched a media campaign aim to mitigate the effects of El Niño, which is the cause of severe problems throughout South America including drought and water scarcity in northern Venezuela.

Authorities have warned the weather phenomenon will increase the risk of drought in 2016, resulting in Venezuela’s Bolivarian government strengthening its information strategies in order to inform citizens of how best to prevent and temper a potential crisis.

The impact of El Niño is expected to be felt in the availability of water for urban and agricultural uses, and also in the water that feeds the nation’s hydroelectric dams. The prevention program seeks to raise awareness among the public on how to best ration the use of the resource.
       
The Eco-socialism and Water Ministry will install a permanent commission in charge of protecting water resources.

El Niño creates a warming of ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which affects wind patterns and can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world, leading to reduced harvests and putting food security at risk.

At the United Nations 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), Venezuela submitted a 38-page plan featuring its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which details its proposals to cut the nation’s emissions by 20 percent by 2030.

In its INDCs, the Socialist country calls on world leaders to recognize climate change as one of the “clearest demonstrations of the crisis of capitalism” and calls for a new model that prioritizes the well-being of people and nature over exploitation and profit.