One of the first things world leaders should do at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt is recognize the victims of extreme weather. They should look at the photo of a family in Cameroon that is crammed onto a small boat carrying what's left of their flooded house.
In Nigeria, a 50-year-old flood victim had to wade through the waters of a devastated area. They should also look at photos of Somalia, where prolonged drought has left dried up land where no one can grow food.
These are among the many forgotten victims of climate change. You rarely see them in the news or made a priority by government leaders despite the urgency. According to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), 19 nations in Central and West Africa have been impacted by recent flooding. The region already has 43 million people facing crisis or emergency levels of hunger.
Meanwhile in the Horn of Africa, the nations of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are suffering hunger from drought. According to the Catholic Relief Services, "20.5 million people—more than the entire population of New York state—need urgent assistance to survive."
COP27 must take the first step of increasing food aid to these nations experiencing climate disasters. Funding for hunger relief for almost every impoverished nation has been very low.
In West and Central Africa massive flooding has hit countries that were already facing extreme hunger and poverty.
In Nigeria, 28 out of the country's 36 states have been hit by flooding after heavy rains. The World Food Program said 3.48 million people have been impacted.
In the Central African Republic, which was already reeling in hunger as reported in Newsweek, flooding that started in July has destroyed homes and livelihoods for thousands. The Central African Republic has suffered from hunger and conflict for years, and parts of its population are already facing level 5 hunger, one step away from famine.
In the Central Sahel countries of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso above average rains and flooding has killed hundreds and displaced thousands. Even more people may die because the flooding has destroyed over a million hectares of cropland. Farmers won't be able to grow food in already hunger-stricken communities. These are countries that cannot afford to lose any sources of food.
Burkina Faso has suffered from conflict, hunger, displacement and recent political instability.
"Some 379,500 internally displaced people live in Burkina Faso's flood-affected areas—in the Sahel, Central North and Northern regions," said U.N. Refugee Agency spokesperson Olga Sarrado. These are families that were already poor and then were displaced by conflict within Burkina Faso.
Conflict in Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic may intensify even more amid the chaos and suffering of flooding and other disasters.
A Somali mother, after arriving at a displacement camp, told the Norwegian Refuge Council, "We have no food, no water and no shelter. Before the drought, we had livestock, but all our livestock died. ... The people left behind, they have no chance, it is just a matter of time until they die. Even here we might die because we have nothing."
The most vulnerable are the small children who can die from malnutrition. We must get food aid to them quickly.
There must also be longer term relief from climate change. Prevention is also the key. Those most vulnerable to climate change must be helped to develop resilience against harsh weather. If the impact of flooding or drought can be reduced, it can help sustain families and communities. We can possibly prevent nations being sent to the brink of famine because of climate disasters.
If we fail to help poorer countries cope with climate change, we will see continuous hunger emergencies. We may also see conflicts increase, leading to even more hunger and displacement.
The climate crisis is claiming lives every day and leading to emergency levels of hunger. The world must not look away from the tragedy unfolding before us.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on the book Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by The Washington Post, History News Network, Cleveland's The Plain Dealer and many other news outlets. Lambers recently volunteered to write the Hunger Heroes section of WFP's online learning game Freerice.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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