The El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon leaves its mark both in North America and in South America, both in the natural and cultural coastal landscape, where its implications cover the areas: economic, social, political, cultural and institutional. The objective of the present was to expose four keys so that the population understands said phenomenon. The method used was geographical since it exposes the causes, explains the development and its dynamics over time while proposing a solution to mitigate this phenomenon, especially at the local level. The methodology involved office work complemented with field work on the Mexican coast, particularly in Guerrero. Among the results are: a) a global planisphere where the intensity with which the El Niño-Southern Oscillation affects the different continents is shown in different colors and b) the climatic variability is increasing, so the negative effects for some people and positive for others will continue. Conclusions: 1) El Niño-Southern Oscillation is recurrent in an average period of two to seven years; the phenomenon is identified between the months between December-March of each year and 2) The link between environmental protection with sustainable development is urgent in order to protect human health, increase biodiversity, sustainable management of fragile ecosystems present in coastal areas.