When people ask if the weather is caused by El Ni o this year, the answer is yes. Even if our weather is more normal than weather ever is, it's still caused by El Ni o. Without El Ni o it would certainly be different. If we are on the brink of a natural global climate change, the addition of manmade pollutants in our atmosphere can only add fuel to increasingly extreme weather patterns. At the same time the ozone layer is cooling and thinning.
Warmer temperatures contribute to the melting of the polar ice caps, increasing sea levels.
While this may not directly affect El Ni o weather patterns, it is another part of the equation. However, the National Center for Atmospheric Research says El Ni os are likely to become more frequent and more intense as Earth grows warmer. A tree will pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere for 30 to 100 years. It's not a permanent solution, but it will buy us time to make bigger changes. Trees will also shade buildings from the sun.