Prioritizing the protection of the population

The world must prioritize protecting populations from predictable climate shocks to stop the spiral of hunger, the World Food Program (WFP) argued on Wednesday. With 333 million people facing acute food insecurity, it is imperative that the world prioritizes protecting populations from predictable climate shocks before they fall into food insecurity, the WFP said a week ahead of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. In recent days, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Observatory have announced that 2023 is expected to be the warmest year on record. Experts agree that at these temperatures, the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as set out in the Paris climate agreement, looked very difficult. Already visible effects of rising temperatures have been seen this year with the longest tropical cyclone on record in southern Africa and record heat and forest fires in Europe, North America and Asia. The rains that came to the Horn of Africa after three years of drought caused flash floods and mass displacement rather than helping farmers. "WFP has already helped 15 million people in 42 countries protect themselves from climate shocks, but it is not enough. Communities on the front lines of the climate crisis need stronger and longer-term protection before these events hit to keep them safe and fed," warned WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, stressing that inaction will result in higher costs, worsening insecurity and increased hunger . The World Food Program at COP28 will call for immediate support to strengthen the protection of food-insecure communities whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by global warming. According to WFP, communities need access to early warning information, financial protection and weather insurance for crops and livestock.