Gai tries to spear fish after his village in South Sudan is flooded.

Climate crisis

Rising temperatures and extreme weather are having a huge impact on people who already live in some of the toughest places on earth.

We’re all seeing more and more extreme weather events like floods and wildfires. They destroy homes and crops. But what’s less well-known is that climate change has become a big cause of rising hunger around the world.

The climate emergency is a humanitarian emergency. Without change, there will be food crises globally due to the warming climate and biodiversity loss. Extreme weather events will become more frequent and growing seasons will be shorter.

Adapting to the changing climate

Since 2008, nearly 175 million people in some of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world have been forced to flee their homes due to climate-related disasters — a number that’s growing year on year.

The painful fact is the worst consequences of climate change are faced by the poorest – the people who have done the least to cause the problem.

And the problem is getting worse

Countries across the world are experiencing more and more climate-related disasters. Severe drought is a leading cause of undernutrition in more than a third of countries that have seen a rise in hunger levels in the past 15 years.

In the Sahel region of Africa – which includes countries such as Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso – the rainy seasons are becoming more erratic. Droughts are leading to a decrease in food production while floods are causing outbreaks of diseases like cholera.

Climate change is a long-term threat to food security and nutrition. By 2050, the risk of hunger and malnutrition could rise by 20% if we fail to reduce and prevent the adverse effects of climate change.

PetitionBig polluters must pay their part for the devastation of the planet

Flash floods. Wildfires. Droughts. Failed harvests. Across the world, we’re seeing the impacts of soaring temperatures. Without crops, there's no food.

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Sabuda, a woman supported by Action Against Hunger, in her vegetable garden.

Bangladesh: why the climate crisis is a hunger crisis

Action Against Hunger is helping communities like Sabuda’s and Shilpi’s adapt to climate change and build a brighter future for their families.

Read the story

What’s the solution?

From Cameroon to Pakistan, we’re teaching farmers about climate-smart growing techniques, introducing nutritious, hardy crops that can better survive extreme weather conditions.

Even when rainfall is limited, it’s possible for gardens to flourish and provide enough to feed families and livestock. With the help of innovative techniques, our teams are helping farmers grow more crops with less water.

We’re working with farmers to create healthier soil where crops can thrive. In Pakistan we’re introducing crops like sugar beets, which can help reduce salt levels in soil.

In the Sahel region of West Africa, we help herders dodge drought by creating an innovative system of real-time alerts that help herders find better grazing land.

We also set up farmer cooperatives so farmers can rent larger plots of land for farming. In Uganda, we set up farmer cooperatives so farmers can get together to negotiate fair prices for their produce.

During a drought or a heatwave, the sun beats down on rural communities. But that energy can be turned into a force for good. Using solar power, the sun helps to fuel everything from water pumps to irrigation systems.

And while we focus on helping communities prepare for crises and help build their resilience, we’re also ready to step in with emergency help when needed.

A group of herders in Niger whose livelihoods have been affected by the climate crisis.

Niger

We’re training smallholder farmers to manage their land in a more holistic way. This means farming in a way that is more resilient to weather extremes, that gradually reverses soil degradation and improves crop and pasture productivity, while being kind on the environment.

Our work in Niger
The aftermath of a typhoon in The Philippines.

The Philippines

We’re helping local government authorities build climate data into their planning processes, helping to build early warning systems to alert vulnerable communities to imminent weather extremes. We’re also training farmers in new agricultural approaches that drive development, create food security, build resilience and drive down carbon emissions.

Our work in The Philippines

Why hunger?

Nutrition

An Action Against Hunger staff member screens a child for malnutrition in Mali.

Providing children with the nutrition they need means they can fulfil their potential and build a brighter, healthier future.

Conflict

South Sudanese refugees supported by an Action Against Hunger member of staff.

Most people facing hunger and malnutrition in the world today can be found in countries affected by conflict.

Gender inequality

A group of women supported by Action Against Hunger in Ethiopia.

Hunger affects everyone differently. But around the world, women and girls are most at risk of becoming malnourished.

Related Publications

Proposition Paper

Climate Change

This proposition paper outlines the effects of climate change on those who already live in some of the toughest places on earth and what Action Against Hunger is doing to combat it.

Proposition Paper

Livelihoods

Even though the world produces enough food to feed the entire population, four out of ten people across the globe can’t afford a healthy diet. This proposition paper outlines the impact of food insecurity on more than 2 billion people worldwide and what Action Against Hunger is doing to combat it.