El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year
UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system , according to forecasting. This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of…
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the powerful El Niño weather system could push approximately 50 million additional people into acute hunger by the end of next year. This dire prediction comes as 225 million individuals are already grappling with severe food insecurity across 45 countries. El Niño, a weather phenomenon that occurs every few years in the Pacific Ocean and alters global rainfall patterns, is forecasted to be the strongest in at least 70 years.
Central, South America, the Caribbean, and Southern Africa are expected to face the brunt of the crisis. The WFP is allocating at least $80 million for anticipatory relief efforts, hoping to mitigate the worst impacts through early warning systems. The organization emphasizes that even if the forecasted El Niño is milder than initially projected, its effects will still push many countries over the edge, adding over a fifth to the already staggering 225 million people in acute food insecurity.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
