Extreme Weather Events Increasingly Impacting Food Security Worldwide, FAO Study Shows

News outlets report on a study by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization examining the links between climate and food security.

Reuters: Extreme weather poses growing threat to food security — U.N.’s FAO
“Drought, floods, and other extremes of weather have become more frequent and severe in the past 30 years and pose a rising threat to food security in developing countries, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. Natural disasters caused worldwide damage worth $1.5 trillion, more than the annual GDP of Australia, between 2003 and 2013 and hit agriculture hard, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report…” (Binnie, 11/26).

U.N. News Centre: Surge in climate change-related disasters poses growing threat to food security — U.N.
“…The FAO report is based on a review of 78 on the ground post-disaster needs-assessments conducted in developing countries coupled with statistical analyses of production losses, changes in trade flows, and agriculture sector growth associated with 140 medium and large scale disasters, defined as those affecting at least 250,000 people. The report demonstrates that natural hazards — particularly extreme weather events — regularly impact heavily on agriculture and hamper the eradication of hunger, poverty, and the achievement of sustainable development…” (11/26).

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