Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The world must act to avert ‘biblical’ famine

many locusts in a box

COVID-19, combined with the effects of ongoing civil conflicts, hotter and drier weather in many areas, and an unfolding locust invasion in Africa and the Middle East, could cut off access to food for tens of millions of people.

The world is “on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” according to World Food Program executive director David Beasley, who recently warned the United Nations Security Council of the urgent need for action to avert “multiple famines of biblical proportions.”

“Hopefully, the experiences of 2020 will help strengthen support for a society based on facts, science, and compassion.”

Understanding how these conditions—alone or in combination—might affect crop harvests and food supply chains is essential to finding solutions, according to David Lobell, director of the center on food security and the environment at Stanford University.

Below, Lobell discusses the connection between immigration and US food security, a counter-intuitive effect of COVID-19, and more:

The post The world must act to avert ‘biblical’ famine appeared first on Futurity.



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