🇲🇬 Madagascar is facing one of the world’s first famines driven by climate change, hunger experts warn.
🔴 Families are now forced to eat insects and cactus leaves as crops fail.
🚨 @WFP says this crisis is a warning to the world. Here's why you need to pay attention. 🧵
🌽 According to @UN, severe hunger due to drought has touched over 1.1 million people in southern Madagascar.
⚠️ 14,000 of them are one step away from starvation.
🌡 A changing climate means many families who were able to live off the land 15 years ago are now going hungry, says @WFP.
🍚 The economic effects of COVID-19 and an already fragile food system have also played a role.
🏜️ Droughts aren’t new to Madagascar, but this is the nation's worst one in four decades.
☀️ @IPCC_CH says the nation is also experiencing extreme dryness.
🌡 Scientists point to human-induced #ClimateChange as the main driver of Africa’s rising surface temperature.
🌽 This isn't the first time a warming planet has deprived people of food.
🇱🇸 It was a key factor in the 2007 Lesotho crisis, say @UniofOxford researchers.
🌀2 years ago, Cyclone Idai battered Africa's east coast. It caused food shortages across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
🤔 Could this happen elsewhere? The short answer is yes.
🇦🇴 Southern Angola and Kenya are now struggling with fierce drought.
🇨🇩 DRC and the Sahel region of West Africa are at risk too.
🌏 Parts of South Asia are experiencing erratic weather, which could lead to food crises.
🤔 How can we fix this?
🌽 Emergency food aid is the most pressing short-term answer.
🌾 But more long-term plans focused on adapting farming methods are needed.
🍠 For example, aid groups are now helping communities grow drought-resistant crops like sweet potato.
⭕️ @WFP is also rolling out initiatives like reforestation and economic support including microinsurance schemes in case of crop failure.
🇲🇬 Madagascar's famine should serve as an alarm bell, researchers say.
🌱At #COP26, @WFP warned that if global warming hits the 2C mark, an additional 189 million people could become food-insecure worldwide.
⭕️ Read more👇 news.trust.org/item/202109071…
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