Climate change is an “unseen driver” behind the thousands of Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrants heading toward the U.S. border, one recent article suggested. Food insecurity and poverty in Central America come not just from violence and corruption but also from worsening droughts and changing weather patterns.
And Hurricane Michael in early October, perhaps the most powerful storm to hit the United States since 1969, is another stark piece of evidence that our world is fast approaching — or has reached — a “tipping point.” The enduring environmental damage from climate change is likely to have broad social implications. But who is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change? And how do we best support these people in times of climate crisis?
Environmental catastrophes have far-reaching consequences, from food insecurity to global migration. Globally, more intense droughts and erratic rainfall make it difficult for farmers to sustain sufficient food production needs. Decreasing crop productivity and corresponding market effects ultimately mean that access to nutritious food is an increasing challenge in poorer countries, but particularly in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Recent U.N. reports, for instance, indicate that the numbers regarding global hunger are getting worse, not better.
[For more on this story by Chesney McOmber, go to https://www.washingtonpost.com...m_term=.315d26edfaf7]
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