Hunger and Malnutrition

At the Glasgow climate conference, President Biden declared climate change an “existential threat to human existence as we know it.” No, it’s not. Climate change is not a meteor hurtling toward Earth to destroy humanity. Rather, it is a chronic, manageable condition humanity can live with. So argues Bjorn Lomborg, author of the book “False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.”

At the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow (COP26), President Biden is projecting the image of a climate trailblazer: “The United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example.”

The World Health Organization estimates that climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths each year in the two decades following 2030, mostly among the world’s poor. The WHO compared the real world with an imaginary one in which there’s no climate change, calculating the difference in deaths from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, dengue fever, flooding and heat.

Fishing makes a substantial contribution to Ghana’s economy and employment, sustaining the livelihoods of at least 3 million people, including half a million women. In West Africa, fish constitutes about one-third of animal protein consumed.

However, the marine fish stock in Ghana is biologically over-exploited and at risk of collapsing. Catches have declined in recent decades, small-sized fish have become prevalent, and only 40% of the fish consumed in Ghana today is produced locally. Excess fishing is worsened by illegal, unreported activities and destructive techniques.

Nutrition in the pre-natal stage and early childhood is fundamental to guarantee overall health and well-being.

It brings multiple benefits to the economy through a lowered rate of disease and a boost in productivity throughout life.

Yet, Ghana faces many challenges and nutrition is just one of them.

There are many potentially incredible solutions to challenges from malaria to education, from better transportation to more productive agriculture.

Es fácil pensar en la inanición como un reto que entró en la conciencia del mundo rico en los años 80 y se solucionó en gran parte gracias a conciertos de rock. Es cierto que el mundo ha hecho enormes avances en la lucha contra el hambre masiva en los últimos 30 años, principalmente como resultado del mejoramiento de las prácticas agrícolas. Sin embargo, a nivel planetario, la escasez de comida sigue matando a un niño cada tres segundos.

Ein neuer Bericht der Vereinten Nationen warnt davor, dass die Zahl der Hungernden im Jahr 2018 weltweit zum dritten Mal in Folge gestiegen sei und nun bei über 820 Millionen liege. Und rund zwei Milliarden Menschen - über ein Viertel der Weltbevölkerung - habe keinen regelmäßigen Zugang zu sicheren, nahrhaften und ausreichenden Lebensmitteln. Diese stillen Todesfälle und das stille Leiden erregen nicht die Aufmerksamkeit der Welt wie die vergangenen Hungersnöte. Sehr zu Unrecht.

Det er nemt at tænke på sult som en udfordring, den rige verden først blev opmærksom på i 1980erne, og som stort set blev løst ved hjælp af en række velgørende rockkoncerter. Det er rigtigt nok, at verden har gjort store fremskridt i bekæmpelsen af hungersnød over de sidste 30 år, først og fremmest som resultat af bedre landbrugsmetoder. Men på verdensplan tager manglen på fødevarer stadig et barns liv hvert tredje sekund.

‘Eat Less Meat” is the typical headline used to present a new United Nations report on climate change released Thursday. The report correctly points to the need to improve global food systems, but pundits are fixating on the supposed need for people in rich countries to change their dining habits radically. This is an ineffective and unachievable policy response.

Investimentos adicionais em nutrição na primeira infância são cruciais e devem ser uma alta prioridade para governos doadores e receptores, organizações multilaterais de desenvolvimento e fundações filantrópicas.