By External Source
Dec 23 2022 (IPS-Partners)
2022 has been an apocalyptic warning of the frailty of our planet…
…and the woeful shortcomings of humankind.
It started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And it’s ending with famine in Africa.
More than 7.8 million Ukrainians have fled the country.
And the impact of the war has been felt worldwide.
Prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed.
Somalia used to import 90 per cent of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.
And now it is enduring the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years.
Women and girls are paying “an unacceptably high price” among affected communities. – UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
2022 is on its way to becoming one of the five hottest years on record.
Agriculture and food security joined the COP27 agenda.
More than 25% of arable soils worldwide are degraded, according to the FAO.
The equivalent of a football pitch of soil is eroded every five seconds.
The planet’s bio-diversity is being devastated as a result.
Still unresolved, however, is which countries will give money and to whom.
Only 1.7% of all climate finance reaches small-scale producers in developing countries.
As little as 8% of overseas aid goes to projects focused primarily on gender equality.
One seismic milestone event happened in late 2022.
The birth of the 8 billionth person was celebrated on November 15.
“We’ve just welcomed the 8 billionth member of the human race on this planet. That’s a wonderful birth of a baby, of course. But we need to understand that the more people there are, the more we put the Earth under heavy pressure,”
– Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
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