The news is not good about the state of food and water as climate change ravishes the planet….
The Climate Crisis is depressing crop yields and fuelling a growing global hunger crisis that has already reached “unprecedented proportions“, with between 3.1bn and 4.2bn people now unable to afford a healthy diet, according to recent reports from the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Fewer people are in immediate danger of starving, but even that number is rising rapidly, according to the WFP.
“Conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes and soaring fertiliser prices are combining to create a food crisis of unprecedented proportions. As many as 309mn people are facing chronic hunger in 71 countries. We have a choice: act now to save lives and invest in solutions that secure food security, stability and peace for all, or see people around the world facing rising hunger,” the WFP said in a recent statement.
Conflict is still the biggest driver of hunger, with 70%of the world’s hungry people living in areas affected by war and violence, according to the WFP. Events in countries such as Palestine and Ukraine have created humanitarian disasters in both countries. But climate change poses to significantly worsen the situation in the most vulnerable countries.
We humans go to war over a wide array of reasons….land acquisition self-defense…..so we have finite resource called water and the way this planet is going it is only a matter of time before someone will run short and attack its neighbor….
Several analyses reviewed by CNBC suggest that there will probably be military clashes over water in areas where it is scarce but in good supply nearby. Among the most convincing came from “Control Risk.”
The Control Risk researchers wrote, “The average monthly number of security incidents (war, unrest, terrorism and crime) in relation to water has increased by over 230% between Jan 2019 and May 2024. “ They also pointed out it will get worse. The World Resouces Institute maid a related observation. “And at least 50% of the world’s population — around 4 billion people — live under highly water-stressed conditions for at least one month of the year.”
The battles over water and other environmental problems have been coming for a long time. Drought is only one of these issues. Extreme heat and severe air pollution are others. Much of India, the world’s largest country by population, is among the regions affected by those. There is a similar problem with food.
The most difficult problem is that the climate migration problem cannot solve it. Tens of millions of people cannot be moved from locations with dangerous climate conditions. Delhi, the capital of India, a city of 34 million, has air pollution rarely matched anywhere else. Temperatures there topped 20 degrees F earlier this year. The ability for humans to survive outdoors at these temperatures at this level will drop, and more and more days are so hot. Cities in Pakistan and Iraq have similar problems.
The water and temperature problems have no solution, so military conflicts cannot be avoided
(climatecrisis247.com)
Whatcha think?
Is the earth on the point for water wars?
Climate change (does exist if you are an idiot) will bring humans to the point of genocide to secure the tasteless but necessary commodity?
How will the world handle wars of this type?
Questions….lots of questions….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Water wars? It’s already happening in some parts of the world and worse is to come as climate chaos continues. I have friends in Spain and they’ve been under drought conditions in large parts of the country for years. My friend Dan lives in Barcelona and the only reason they have adequate water at all is because they saw this coming and put in a desalination plant years ago. Sicily, Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean are under moderate to severe drought with record breaking high temperatures.
A lot of food crops in the US are entirely dependent on irrigation, and farmers are fighting against the ever increasing water needs of growing cities. It’s a lose/lose situation. Cut water for irrigation and risk increased food costs or even food shortages, or cut water to cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc. and politicians risk getting booted out of office.
Then there is the bizarre… Things like wasting millions of gallons of water to grow alfalfa here which is then cut and shipped to Saudi Arabia to feed to horses and cattle ranches and even dairy farms in the desert.
Our food and water policies are utterly irrational when it comes right down to it.
I do not understand some of our policies either….chuq
Good post and article. Not much can be added. Scientists have been predicting this for years. But there is a no way to avoid what’s coming. And everyone wants to protect themselves and their own area or country. Every group wants to be the small group that survives.
There have been warnings but as you say few pay attention….it will bite us in the ass. chuq
Looking at the vast number of overly fat asses draping off the sides of automated shopping carts at the grocery store, I often am hard pressed to imagine anyone starving in America.
Seeing the need at food banks would change you mind. chuq
I am all in favor of needy people getting food from the handout stations .. it is the rich fat bitches arriving in their lincoln continentals and their cadillacs and expensive suvs loading up on the free food when it is quite obvious they have no need for it at all …I saw a report where one such bitch bragged to the reporter that she got the free food because “It helps out with the grandchildren but I don’t really need it…” Personally I am in favor of making the food banks vet their recipients and make damned sure they are in need before wasting all the food that goes down the gullets of greedy sons of bitches that get it but don’t really need it.
We have two down here and I volunteered at one of them and never saw a luxury car but then that was here where more people are poor than rich. chuq