The world's worst climate hotspots are seeing a surge in acute hunger, according to an Oxfam report that called for rich nations to cut emissions and compensate low-income countries.
Hunger in a warming world, Hunger in a Warm World, found that acute hunger had risen by 123 per cent over the last six years in the ten most affected nations, defined by the number of UN weather appeals.
The report was timed to pressure world leaders at the UN General AssemblyUN General Assembly to act, according to Oxfam America's senior humanitarian policy advisory, Lia Lindsey, said that severe weather events are already being felt.
The countries - Somalia, Haiti, Djibouti, Kenya, Niger, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe - have been battered repeatedly over the last two decades by extreme weather.
According to reports by the World Food Programme, 48 million people in countries suffer from acute hunger, which is a result of a shock and causing dangers to lives and livelihoods.
In 2016 that figure was up from 21 million people and 18 million people are on the brink of starvation.
The report acknowledges the complexity surrounding global hunger, with conflict and economic disruption - including those from the COVID 19 pandemic.
It said that these new and worsening weather extremes are increasingly peeling away the ability of poor people particularly in low-income countries to stave off hunger and cope with the next shock.
For example, Somalia is facing its worst drought on record, forcing 1 million people to flee their homes.