Climate change is fuelling hunger for millions of people around the world. Extreme weather events have increased five-fold over the past 50 years, destroying homes, decimating livelihoods, fuelling conflict and displacement, and deepening inequality.
The causes of global hunger are deeply complex and conflict and economic disruptions, including those from COVID-19, remaining key drivers. However, these new and worsening weather extremes are increasingly peeling away the abilities of poor people particularly in low-income countries to stave off hunger and cope with next shock.
Hunger more than doubling
Climate change has resulted in more frequent and intense droughts, floods, and heat waves. The number of disasters has increased five-fold over the past 50 years. This is hitting hardest low-income countries. The 10 countries with the highest UN appeals related to weather extremes since 2000, have seen a 123% rise in the number of people suffering extreme hunger -from 21.3 million to 47.5 million.
These countries are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia and Zimbabwe
Climate Injustice
The G20 countries, are amongst the most polluting nations in the world, collectively responsible for nearly 77% of carbon emissions. This dwarfs emissions from the 10 countries most impacted by climate change which are0.13%. We can together stop this injustice. Share this to urge G20 leaders to cut their emissions and compensate these countries
Fossil Fuel Profit
It is extraordinary that as humanity faces this existential crisis, there is still more incentive to destroy our planet than to save lives.
The oil and gas industry has enjoyed staggering profits as they wreak havoc on the planet –amassing $2.8 billion a day (or more than $1 trillion per year) for the last 50 years.
rise in acute hunger (from 21m in 2016 to 48 million today)
days of fossil fuel companies’ profit could cover the entire UN humanitarian appeal for 2022
countries emit 1.3 trillion tons of carbon – 76% of total global emissions , x 650 times emissions from 10 worst climate hotspots (which emit 0.1% of global carbon emissions)