UN report on growing world hunger criticised for climate hype
Net Zero Watch has criticised the UN and news media for claiming that 'climate change is pushing millions of people into hunger,' a claim widely reported in the media.
A new UN report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023”, claims that 122 million more people are facing hunger than in 2019, and that global food insecurity has worsened in recent years due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
UN food and hunger
Whilst Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine have both disrupted food supplies and pushed up energy and food inflation, it is not true that food production is declining because of extreme weather events.
Even Pakistan, which was affected by severe flooding last year, has just reported a record harvest.
The UN's climate claims are also contradicted by its own data, which shows worldwide food production continuing to climb. New records were set in 2021 for cereal output and the value of agricultural production. Last year recorded the second highest cereal production on record, and this year is now forecast to set yet another new record for wheat.
According to the new report's methodology, the UN's claims are not based on actual data at all. Their index for hunger is derived from computer modelling, while their measure for food insecurity is calculated from household surveys.
Climate researcher, Paul Homewood, comments:
The Director of the UN's Food & Agriculture Organisation has remarked that the world's food systems could entirely collapse. This is grossly irresponsible and a complete denial of the remarkable success of the world's agricultural industry.
If the UN is concerned about world hunger, maybe they should call a halt to all of the agricultural Net Zero and rewilding projects being undertaken in Europe and elsewhere, all in the name of climate change.”
Notes for editors
The full UN report is here:
More details and analysis here: