Tara Climate Foundation chief says Super El Niño exposes the limits of siloed giving
Jamie Choi, chief executive of Tara Climate Foundation, argues that philanthropy's main test during the 2026 to 2027 'Super' El Niño is how funders think, not how fast they move money. That El Niño is projected to be the strongest on record. It arrives in a world nearly 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, where heat, drought, energy strain and food prices can compound across Asia.
Choi traces the weakness to where foundation leaders get their counsel. Executives who spend most of their time with peers from their own field tend to read every risk through that field's lens, so their strategies keep the same boundaries. Tara has expanded its multi-year, flexible funding. Even so, Choi admits that flexibility alone does not show which systems a portfolio quietly depends on, from stable power to affordable nutrition.
Source: Alliance Magazine · November 10, 2026