Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), emphasized the urgent need for rapid action against climate change to prevent future conflicts during a high-level debate at the Security Council.
Speaking at the open debate on the impact of climate change and food insecurity on international peace and security, Stiell highlighted the worsening state of global hunger exacerbated by climate disruptions.
\"Today, one in 10 people on earth already suffers from chronic hunger. That number is unacceptable,\" he stated. Stiell underscored the interconnectedness of climate change, food insecurity, and conflict, adding, \"Climate change is contributing to food insecurity and to conflict.\"
The UNFCCC chief pointed out the rapid changes in climate patterns and their detrimental effects on agriculture. \"The world is heating. Fast. Rainfall patterns are changing. And storms are becoming stronger and more destructive,\" he remarked.
Referencing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Stiell noted, \"Food production is already lower than it would have been without climate change.\" He warned of potential \"huge supply shocks\" in the future, where \"harvests fail simultaneously, in major producer countries.\"
Without significant climate action, Stiell cautioned, the world could face inevitable food shortages, price spikes, and increased hunger, further destabilizing regions and potentially leading to conflicts.
Reference(s):
UNFCCC chief: Addressing climate change key to preventing conflicts
cgtn.com
