Part 3: How El Nino Choked Civilisations and Stirred Revolution | The Rearview Podcast

Could a warm patch of water in the Pacific have influenced both the French Revolution and some of India’s deadliest famines? In this concluding episode of the series, Jacob and Sobhana trace the extraordinary historical reach of El Niño, revealing how a climate phenomenon thousands of kilometres away has left its imprint on societies, economies and even moments that changed the course of history.The episode revisits the devastating El Niño of 1877–78, when simultaneous droughts across India, China and Brazil unfolded as the world was becoming the first truly globalised economy. It explores intriguing links between climate extremes and events such as the 1789 Skull Famine in India and the years leading up to the French Revolution, while weighing the evidence with appropriate historical caution.The conversation also asks why modern India no longer experiences famine despite repeated El Niño-driven monsoon failures. Instead, the impacts are now felt in subtler but still powerful ways: food prices, rural incomes, reservoirs, electricity generation and the wider economy.Finally, the hosts explain why forecasting the Indian monsoon remains one of science’s greatest challenges. El Niño is only one player in a complex system, joined by the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Madden–Julian Oscillation. As this year’s monsoon unfolds, the episode shows why meteorologists are watching every signal—and why a distant Pacific Ocean still shapes life at the Indian dinner table.Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K NairProducer and editor: Jude WestonFor more episodes of In Focus: Published - July 27, 2026 06:07 pm IST