Rome, October 16: The United Nations has issued a stern warning to heads of states around the world to brace for a "perfect storm" in the near-future, with the combination of climate change, hunger and "man-made conflicts" posing a catastrophic risk before all the nations.
World Food Programme (WFP), part of the UN chapter based in Rome, said food shortage before an overwhelming section of the global population will push the world into a "deadly chaos". WFP chief David Beasley said the developed nations could not remain aloof to the menace as hunger directly triggers migration. ‘Doomsday Clock 2 Minutes Away From Midnight’: Global Conflicts Apart, A Look At 15 Civil Wars Which Can End The World.
"For every one percent increase in hunger, there’s a two percent increase in migration," Beasley said, calling for enhanced aide from the first-world nations to achieve the UN target of eliminating hunger by 2030.
According to UN’s latest hunger report, every one out of nine people, or an estimated 821 million people in the world are malnourished.
The Global Hunger Index, prepared by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, has ranked India on the 100th position -- below neighbouring China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Pakistan, however, ranks worse than India, being placed at the 106th position.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 155 million children under the age of five are "chronically malnourished".
The UN's warning on hunger came days after the global body's climate change arm - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - published a report claiming that the earth's temperature would rise by 2 degree celsius as compared to the pre-industrial levels by 2030. If steps are not taken to prevent it, several archipelagos and island nations could risk be drowned.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2018 09:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).