Econofact is reporting that global hunger has risen to record levels. Up to 811 million people — about a tenth of the world’s population— currently confront hunger. The striking increase in hunger pre-dates the war in Ukraine, but the war has strongly accelerated that trend. Climate-related events are also fueling the global hunger crisis. Climate change is second only to conflict as a cause of hunger. IFPRI projects (in Projections from IFPRI's IMPACT model: Climate change and food systems) that the effect of climate change in South Asia, as reflected in the recent wave of extreme heat, will increase the number of hungry people by nearly 23 million by 2030. IFPRI proposes a “do no harm” set of policy responses, including 1) exempt food and fertilizer from trade sanctions, 2) refrain from export bans, 3) avoid hoarding and panic buying of commodities, 4) target food subsidies to the neediest, 5) provide humanitarian aid, and 6) suspend biofuels mandates and subsidies. The urgency of such actions in the current situation is magnified by the recognition that the negative effects of early life malnutrition can permanently impair child growth and cognitive development.
