News
Source(s):
World Bank, the (WB)
By Juergen Voegele
In 2020, swarms of desert locusts descended on northern Kenya in the country’s worst locust infestation in 70 years. They ate crops and threatened the food security of 3 million people. Locusts brought similar devastation to some of the poorest countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, as governments and communities braced for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why did this rare and widespread (and ongoing) infestation occur? The extent and intensity of this locust plague have been linked to climate change – the result of powerful cyclones in the Arabian Peninsula and heavy rains vegetating normally dry areas where locusts breed. Cyclonic winds helped the surging swarms travel to East Africa. Even as Kenya and other countries grappled with the pandemic, climate change added another layer of risk – and one that is expected to intensify in the future and hit the most vulnerable people the hardest.
Today, after 25 years of progress reducing global poverty, we are at a precarious moment. Poverty is on the rise. The pandemic is estimated to have increased the number of people living in extreme poverty by 88 million to 115 million in 2020 alone. Climate change could push up to 132 million additional people into poverty by 2030.
The world cannot get back on track reducing poverty without rising to the challenges of climate change. We must help the poorest countries adapt and become more resilient. This effort is not just about building dikes and cyclone shelters, but about improving the well-being of people – their health, education, access to clean water, sanitation, and jobs – as well as protecting biodiversity and the ecosystems that sustain lives and economies.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is dedicated to supporting the poorest countries on all these fronts. For nearly a decade, IDA has made climate change a special focus of its assistance in response to growing demand from developing countries. Today, IDA considers climate risk in all its projects and works with partners to reach the poorest people, often in isolated communities and settings affected by fragility, conflict and violence. For example:
These are just a few of the many ways IDA is supporting the poorest in the face of climate change challenges. We can and must do more to bring more innovation to the fight against climate change in the poorest countries. This includes a focus on the long term, and working to prevent crises by supporting the transition to a greener, more resilient, and more inclusive future. Millions of lives depend on it.
The blog is part of a series on ways to ensure a resilient recovery from COVID-19 in the world’s poorest countries. For the latest, follow @WBG_IDA and #IDAWorks.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
DOCUMENTS / PUBLICATIONS
DOCUMENTS / PUBLICATIONS
Permalink: https://www.preventionweb.net/go/76817