East Africa faces starvation
Due to ongoing massive droughts, countries in the Horn of Africa are experiencing major food shortages and hunger. Globally, the number of people acutely threatened by starvation has risen from 135 million in 2019 to 345 million, according to the UN. European media are clear that rich countries must do their bit to relieve the suffering.
Extremely unfair food system
Our governments have failed us, The Guardian insists:
“The crisis is laying bare the broken food system that underlies it, in which consumers, and often producers, struggle while others make huge profits. Grain trading is concentrated in the hands of only four companies, which are making record profits from desperately needed dietary staples. ... The failure of governments to address the real problems has left the way clear for companies to exploit high prices for excessive profit, and Vladimir Putin to manipulate food for political ends.”
A profoundly unjust climate emergency
The West must not look the other way in this humanitarian catastrophe for it bears a great deal of the blame, warns The Irish Times:
“This is the climate emergency. This drought is a direct result of climate change, and climate change is a direct result of how the developed world continues to live. Kenya produces one two-thousandth of global emissions. Almost 75 percent of power in Kenya comes from renewable sources. This is a crisis not of their doing. It is simply unjust that they are paying for our mistakes with their lives. ... But the crisis is outpacing the response. The situation is getting direr by the day.”