The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a stark warning that approximately 282 million people globally are facing severe hunger, exacerbated by the impacts of the La Niña climate phenomenon.
This recurring weather event causes unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Pacific, often leading to extreme weather such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall.
Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO’s Geneva office, spoke at a press conference, emphasizing that this number is expected to increase.
According to the Climate Prediction Center’s September forecast, there is a 71% chance that La Niña will begin between September and November 2024, and it could persist from January to March 2025.
Additionally, long-term predictions from the World Meteorological Organization suggest a 55% likelihood that La Niña will continue during the same period.
This warning comes after one of the most intense El Niño events on record, which took place between 2023 and 2024. Unlike La Niña, El Niño brings warmer ocean temperatures, disrupting rainfall patterns worldwide.
Countries such as South Africa experienced devastating droughts, while the Horn of Africa faced severe flooding after years of drought.
The FAO report highlighted that La Niña has already triggered extreme climate events, including droughts, heatwaves, and floods, affecting over 60 million people worldwide. These extreme weather events have been a major driver of food insecurity in recent months.
The report also warned that as many regions continue to grapple with the aftermath of these disasters, the impending La Niña could further worsen already critical vulnerabilities.
This convergence of extreme weather threatens to reverse years of development progress, drive up food prices, and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition.
The FAO stressed that these disasters underscore the fragility of many regions when faced with extreme weather, as people lose their homes, livelihoods, and sometimes their lives.
Agricultural systems, which are highly sensitive to climate shifts, could face long-term damage, including soil degradation, water resource depletion, disrupted planting seasons, and lower crop yields. This would make it difficult for farmers to sustain production, pushing millions more into hunger and poverty.
La Niña, a natural phenomenon, typically occurs every 4 to 12 years, causing surface water temperatures to rise and creating warm water masses in tropical regions that trigger climate changes globally.
With the frequency of extreme weather events increasing, the world must brace for further food insecurity and humanitarian crises linked to climate change.
