The United Nations warned that the current El Niño — forecast to be the strongest in over 70 years — could push at least 49 million people into acute hunger by the end of 2027.
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean could see the sharpest rises in food insecurity, the UN’s World Food Programme said in a statement on Wednesday. The report cites an analysis of 45 food-insecure countries, where the weather pattern will significantly impact rainfall, temperatures and the occurrence of floods and droughts.
Across the countries it assessed, the WFP estimates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity — families that are unable to meet their daily food needs — would rise from approximately 225 million to 274 million people.
The weather phenomenon is expected to peak by the end of this year, bringing extreme and unpredictable weather that will threaten harvests and lower farm production, deepening food-security concerns. The disruption will hit especially hard across some of the poorest nations, already battered by high energy costs and supply snarls caused by the Iran war.
“El Niño is a massive threat to the food security of millions who are already vulnerable,” said Carl Skau, WFP’s acting executive director. “Severe floods and droughts can quickly push communities from coping to crisis.”
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