Climate crisis may push 40 mn more children into severe hunger: Report | world news

At least 40 million additional children will experience the most severe effects of hunger by 2050 as a result of climate change, according to the latest Goalkeepers Report released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The report, titled ‘A Race to Nourish a Warming World’, warns that without urgent action, millions more will face stunting and wasting – two of the most severe forms of malnutrition.

The Foundation’s eighth annual report forecasts that climate change could lead to an additional 28 million children suffering from wasting by 2050, in addition to those already affected by stunting. However, immediate interventions could mitigate these effects, enhance global health, and stimulate economic growth.

Call for global health investment

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has called on world leaders to increase funding in global health, particularly in areas where it is most needed, to protect children’s health and nutrition amid the escalating climate crisis. Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation and the report’s lead author, highlighted that the world is facing more challenges than ever before, with inflation, rising debt, and new conflicts stretching government budgets.

“Unfortunately, aid isn’t keeping pace with these needs, particularly in the places that need it the most,” Gates wrote. He pointed to the decline in foreign aid to African countries, noting that in 2010, 40 per cent of aid was directed to Africa, but this figure has now fallen to 25 per cent, the lowest in two decades. This is particularly concerning, given that over half of child deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where progress made between 2000 and 2020 is now under threat.

Gates added that malnutrition is the “world’s worst child health crisis” and that climate change is exacerbating the situation. He called for continued global health funding and the support of initiatives such as the Child Nutrition Fund, which coordinates donor financing for nutrition, and other established institutions like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Solutions exist, but action needed

The report stresses that existing tools and technologies can reduce malnutrition and build resilience to climate change. It emphasizes agricultural advancements that are producing two to three times more milk, which can prevent millions of cases of child stunting by 2050. For instance, in countries like India, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, these innovations could prevent 109 million cases of stunting over the coming decades.

Efforts to scale up fortification of pantry staples like salt and bouillon cubes are also showing promise. In Ethiopia, fortifying salt with iodine and folic acid could lead to a 4 per cent reduction in anaemia, potentially preventing up to 75 per cent of deaths from neural tube defects. Similarly, fortifying bouillon cubes in Nigeria could avert 16.6 million cases of anemia and save up to 11,000 lives.

Additionally, providing high-quality prenatal vitamins for pregnant women could save almost half a million lives and improve birth outcomes for 25 million babies by 2040, with the cost of these micronutrient supplements as low as $2.60 for an entire pregnancy.

Economic impact of malnutrition

Malnutrition not only affects health but also imposes significant economic costs. According to the World Bank, the global productivity loss due to undernutrition amounts to $3 trillion annually. In low-income countries, this represents a loss of 3 per cent to 16 per cent of GDP, equivalent to a permanent global recession on the scale of the 2008 financial crisis every year.

“The best way to combat the impacts of climate change is to invest in nutrition,” Gates wrote. “Malnutrition makes every step we take towards progress heavier and harder. But if we solve malnutrition, we also make it easier to solve other challenges like extreme poverty, and diseases like malaria become far less deadly.”

The report concludes that by addressing malnutrition and maintaining global health funding, the world can not only save millions of lives but also demonstrate humanity’s ability to overcome its greatest challenges.

First Published: Sep 17, 2024 | 3:53 PM IST