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  • From Zambia to Afghanistan, WFP alerts El Niño’s severe weather condition is triggering a rise in cravings

    From Zambia to Afghanistan, WFP alerts El Niño’s severe weather condition is triggering a rise in cravings

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Severe weather condition credited to the El Niño phenomenon is triggering a rise in cravings from Zambia to Afghanistan, the UN’s World Food Program stated Wednesday, contacting donors for much-needed assistance.

    El Nino is a natural, short-term and periodic warming of part of the Pacific that moves international weather condition patterns, and research studies state environment modification is making them more powerful.

    10s of countless individuals in southern Africa depend on the weather condition to grow food to feed themselves.

    In a declaration, the WFP alerted that southern Africa was the “center of the crisis” after a cycle of floods and dry spell has actually damaged the area over the last 3 years. 3 nations, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, are the worst impacted and have actually seen in between 40-80% of their essential corn crops erased by dry spell this season, leaving millions affected, according to the UN food company.

    The WFP stated executive director Cindy McCain had actually taken a trip to Zambia and seen how “serious dry spell has actually erased harvests in an area where 70% of the population counts on farming to endure.”

    “We can’t ask millions to await the next harvest season — a year from now — to put food on their tables,” McCain stated in a declaration. “These households require our assistance today while we assist to develop a more resistant future.”

    WFP stated its “groups have actually begun to react however US$409 million are required for 6 months to help 4.8 million individuals in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.”

    Other nations, consisting of Congo and Afghanistan, are dealing with comparable issues due to altering climate condition which have actually caused damaged crops, animals deaths and displaced individuals, triggering a rise in cravings, the company stated in a different declaration.

    This comes as cravings crises triggered by dispute in Gaza and Sudan are currently extending the company’s help capability.

    The WFP’s require help came days after the local Southern African Advancement Neighborhood made a plea for assistance after an unique virtual conference of leaders and federal government authorities to go over the effect of the severe weather condition.

    In a joint declaration, the southern African nations stated the area required $5.5 billion to assist more than 61 million individuals.

    There had actually been a “diverse and cascading effect of the El Niño-induced dry spell and floods throughout several sectors,” the local bloc stated, keeping in mind how it had actually triggered other issues, such as adding to big and lethal break outs of the water-born cholera illness. Nations that depend upon hydroelectric generators, like Zambia, are having a hard time to produce sufficient electrical energy since of the dry spell.

    Together With El Niño, the southern African area has actually just recently seen a series of hurricanes that researchers stated were most likely made more powerful and wetter by human-caused environment modification and the boost in international temperature levels.

    While the African continent contributes the least to environment modification, it is anticipated to suffer one of the most. Poorer nations are typically not as fully equipped to handle the effect.

    Even before the floods and dry spell, food insecurity and poor nutrition were currently at disconcerting levels in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia and humanitarian help had actually stalled since of financing scarcities for help, WFP stated.

    The 3 nations have all stated nationwide catastrophes over this year’s dry spell, and others have actually supplied similarly grim evaluations.

    The United Nations humanitarian company stated this month that around half of Zimbabwe’s population of 15 million required “lifesaving and life-sustaining” assistance since of the dry spell.

    Recently, the Action Versus Cravings non-profit alerted that “a cravings crisis might impend” in Kenya in East Africa after devastating floods displaced more than 250,000 individuals.

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • Brazil floods strike blow to powerful agriculture sector

    Brazil floods strike blow to powerful agriculture sector

    Floodwaters in Brazil have swallowed up soybean fields and farming equipment, cutting off roads, livestock farms and warehouses in the latest extreme weather event to hit the agricultural giant.

    The inundated state of Rio Grande do Sul is one of the biggest soy-producing regions in Brazil, as well as its main rice-growing area, and both crops are expected to suffer from the historic flooding.

    “In a year, we have suffered a drought and three floods, including this one, which reached levels never seen before,” said Nilvo Bosa, president of a local cooperative of small farmers.

    “We have no way of accessing our fields, which are under four or five meters (13 to 16 feet) of water,” he said from his house atop a hill, reflecting on the extensive damage from floods that have turned streets into rivers and left more than 100 dead.

    The region had been counting on a record harvest of more than 22 million tons of soybeans this year, but extreme weather could affect up to five million tons of the harvest, said Luiz Fernando Gutierrez, an analyst at the Safras & Mercado agricultural consulting firm.

    Before the rains, “a quarter of the soybean fields remained to be harvested,” he said.

    “Part of the crops will rot and be lost, others will have lower yields than expected. Storage areas were also likely affected.”

    While Brazil will retain its spot as the world’s largest producer of soybeans, which are used in livestock feed, the flooding is expected to hit its results this season.

    A decline had already been forecast before the floods, due to previous torrential rains and a drought in the center-west of the huge country.

    – Rice, chicken and pork –

    Rio Grande do Sul is also Brazil’s largest grower of rice, a staple in the country, with 6.9 million tons produced last year.

    Around 15 percent of rice crops had yet to be harvested before the floods hit, according to the regional Institute of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Emater).

    To address any potential deficit and combat price speculation, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government has announced plans to import rice.

    Rio Grande do Sul has experienced major disruptions to its network of meat processing plants, with two of its 10 plants still paralyzed, according to the Brazilian Animal Protein Association.

    The region is responsible for 11 percent of Brazil’s chicken meat production, of which it is the world’s largest exporter, and almost 20 percent of pork, of which it is the world’s fourth-largest exporter.

    “To restore the (agricultural) sector we need a guarantee fund supported by the government,” said Gedeao Pereira, president of the Regional Federation of Agriculture.

    Experts link the historic floods and other recent extreme weather in Brazil to global warming, exacerbated by the El Nino climate phenomenon.

    Agronomist Eduardo Assad, who studies the effects of climate change on agriculture, said Brazil “will begin to suffer severe crop losses” if the sector does not take the necessary measures to protect the soil and biodiversity.

    According to a report published last year by MapBiomas, a consortium of Brazilian NGOs and universities, agricultural activities contributed to 95.7 percent of deforestation in Brazil.

    While Lula’s government boasted lowered deforestation rates in the vital Amazon rainforest last year, experts say the country needs to develop a more sustainable agricultural model that can adapt to global warming.

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  • Pakistan records its wettest April since 1961 with above average rainfall

    Pakistan records its wettest April since 1961 with above average rainfall

    ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has recorded its wettest April since 1961, with more than double the usual rainfall for the month, the national weather center said.

    The country experienced days of extreme weather in April that killed scores of people and destroyed property and farmland. Experts said Pakistan witnessed heavier rains because of climate change.

    Last month’s rainfall for Pakistan was a 164% increase from the usual level for April, according to a report published Friday by Pakistan’s national weather center.

    The intense downpours affected the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern Baluchistan provinces the most.

    Devastating summer floods in 2022 killed at least 1,700 people, destroyed millions of homes, wiped out swaths of farmland, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses in a matter of months.

    At one point, a third of the country was underwater. Pakistani leaders and many scientists worldwide blamed climate change for the unusually early and heavy monsoon rains.

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  • Big majority of Americans favor taking steps to reduce climate change

    Big majority of Americans favor taking steps to reduce climate change

    Record heat, hurricanes, wildfires all have been making news in recent years. And while not everyone agrees events like these are the direct result of climate change, they do connect to peoples’ opinions about it: a big majority of Americans feel the U.S. needs to address climate change, with those who report experiencing extreme weather more likely to say we should do so right now.

    Views on climate change have long been associated with partisanship, and they still are, but age is a factor, too. Younger Americans, including younger Republicans, are even more likely to say the U.S. needs to take steps to at least try to slow it.

    There’s a sense of urgency from many in the public, too. A large majority think it needs to be addressed at least in the next few years, including half who think it needs to be addressed right now.

    There’s the sense that we should address climate change, and there’s also some belief that we can.

    That extends down to the personal level, too. Most Americans believe humans can do something to at least slow the effects of climate change, and those who think so feel they personally have a responsibility to do something about it.

    Extreme weather and climate change

    People who report having experienced extreme weather in their area in recent years — which is half the country — are more inclined than those who haven’t to believe climate change is a major factor contributing to extreme weather, and more of them see the issue as one that needs to be addressed right away.

    And even if people don’t experience the extreme weather themselves, such events can spark concern. When people hear about the earth experiencing the warmest temperatures on record, more than half say it makes them more concerned about climate change. Those who don’t see climate change as a factor in extreme weather are less persuaded by this, including some who don’t believe that the earth’s temperature is rising.

    Younger people and the political divides on climate change

    Majorities across all age groups favor the U.S. taking steps to address climate change, but it’s people under age 45 — many who say they were taught about climate change in school — who are especially likely to be in support of the country taking action.

    There have long been political divisions on addressing climate change, with Democrats expressing more concern than Republicans. These continue today, to some extent. Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to say climate change needs to be addressed right now. And Democrats overwhelmingly support the U.S. taking steps to reduce climate change, but Republicans are divided on that.

    Divisions in the GOP on climate?

    The divides within the rank and file GOP we see are along age and ideological lines. Most younger Republicans — those under age 45 — support the U.S. taking steps slow or stop climate change, while most older Republicans do not

    More moderate Republicans also see climate change as more pressing than those who are more conservative.

    And like the public overall, Republicans who report having experienced extreme weather in their local area are more likely to think climate change needs to be addressed.

    This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,230 U.S. adult residents interviewed between April 16-19, 2024. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past vote. The margin of error is ±2.7  points.

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  • In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change

    In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change

    JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Roads turned to murky brown rivers, homes were swept away by strong currents and bodies were pulled from mud during deadly flash floods and landslides after torrential rains hit West Sumatra in early March, marking one of the latest deadly natural disasters in Indonesia.

    Government officials blamed the floods on heavy rainfall, but environmental groups have cited the disaster as the latest example of deforestation and environmental degradation intensifying the effects of severe weather across Indonesia.

    “This disaster occurred not only because of extreme weather factors, but because of the ecological crisis,” Indonesian environmental rights group Indonesian Forum for the Environment wrote in a statement. “If the environment continues to be ignored, then we will continue to reap ecological disasters.”

    A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants, giant and blooming forest flowers. Some live nowhere else.

    For generations the forests have also provided livelihoods, food, and medicine while playing a central role in cultural practices for millions of Indigenous residents in Indonesia.

    Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares (285,715 square miles) of Indonesian rainforest — an area twice the size of Germany — have been logged, burned or degraded for development of palm oil, paper and rubber plantations, mining and other commodities according to Global Forest Watch.

    Indonesia is the biggest producer of palm oil, one of the largest exporters of coal and a top producer of pulp for paper. It also exports oil and gas, rubber, tin and other resources. And it also has the world’s largest reserves of nickel — a critical material for electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods needed for the green energy transition.

    Indonesia has consistently ranked as one of the largest global emitters of plant-warming greenhouse gases, with its emissions stemming from the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and peatland fires, according to the Global Carbon Project.

    It’s also highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including extreme events such as floods and droughts, long-term changes from sea level rise, shifts in rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures, according to the World Bank. In recent decades the country has already seen the effects of climate change: More intense rains, landslides and floods during rainy season, and more fires during a longer dry season.

    But forests can help play a vital role in reducing the impact of some extreme weather events, said Aida Greenbury, a sustainability expert focusing on Indonesia.

    Flooding can be slowed by trees and vegetation soaking up rainwater and reducing erosion. In dry season, forests release moisture that helps mitigate the effects of droughts, including fires.

    But when forests diminish, those benefits do as well.

    A 2017 study reported that forest conversion and deforestation expose bare soil to rainfall, causing soil erosion. Frequent harvesting activities — such as done on palm oil plantations — and the removal of ground vegetation leads to further soil compaction, causing rain to run off the surface instead of entering groundwater reservoirs. Downstream erosion also increases sediment in rivers, making rivers shallower and increasing flood risks, according to the research.

    After the deadly floods in Sumatra in early March, West Sumatra Gov. Mahyeldi Ansharullah said there were strong indications of illegal logging around locations affected by floods and landslides. That, coupled with extreme rainfall, inadequate drainage systems and improper housing development contributed to the disaster, he said.

    Experts and environmental activists have pointed to deforestation worsening disasters in other regions of Indonesia as well: In 2021 environmental activists partially blamed deadly floods in Kalimantan on environmental degradation caused by large-scale mining and palm oil operations. In Papua, deforestation was partially blamed for floods and landslides that killed over a hundred people in 2019.

    There have been some signs of progress: In 2018 Indonesian President Joko Widodo put a three-year freeze on new permits for palm oil plantations. And the rate of deforestation slowed between 2021-2022, according to government data.

    But experts warn that it’s unlikely deforestation in Indonesia will stop anytime soon as the government continues to move forward with new mining and infrastructure projects such as new nickel smelters and cement factories.

    “A lot of land use and land-based investment permits have already been given to businesses, and a lot of these areas are already prone to disasters,” said Arie Rompas, an Indonesia-based forestry expert at Greenpeace.

    President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who is scheduled to take office in October, has promised to continue Widodo’s policy of development, include large-scale food estates, mining and other infrastructure development that are all linked to deforestation.

    Environmental watchdogs also warn that environmental protections in Indonesia are weakening, including the passing of the controversial Omnibus Law, which eliminated an article of the Forestry Law regarding the minimum area of forest that must be maintained at development projects.

    “The removal of that article makes us very worried (about deforestation) for the years to come,” said Rompas.

    While experts and activists recognize that development is essential for Indonesia’s economy to continue to go, they argue that it should be done in a way that considers the environment and incorporates better land planning.

    “We can’t continue down the same path we’ve been on,” said sustainability expert Greenbury. “We need to make sure that the soil, the land in the forest doesn’t become extinct.”

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    Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Easter eggs may cost more as warming hits cocoa crops

    Easter eggs may cost more as warming hits cocoa crops

    Climate change is a key reason your chocolate Easter egg could cost more this year, according to researchers.

    Most chocolate is made from cocoa grown in West Africa, but a humid heatwave has blasted the crops and massively cut yields.

    Experts say that human induced climate change has made the extreme heat 10 times more likely.

    The resulting shortage of cocoa has seen prices soar to almost $8,500 (£6,700) a tonne this week.

    Cocoa trees are particularly vulnerable to changes in the climate. They only grow in a narrow band of about 20 degrees latitude around the Equator.

    Most global production is concentrated in West Africa. In 2023, 58m kilogrammes of cocoa beans worth £127m were imported to the UK from Ivory Coast and Ghana with 85% of the UK’s cocoa beans sourced from Ivory Coast.

    However, severe drought conditions have hit the West Africa region since February this year.

    This has been caused by temperatures that soared above 40C, breaking records in countries including the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

    Easter egg
    A chocolate maker works on an Easter egg

    It was these exceptionally high temperatures that the World Weather Attribution group, based at Imperial College London, found were made ten times more likely by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

    Their study found that unless the world quickly reduces fossil fuel use, West Africa will experience similar heatwaves about every two years.

    “There were reports from farmers in Ivory Coast that the heat weakened the cocoa crop,” according to one of the authors of the study, Izadine Pinto from the University of Cape Town.

    He said the high temperatures increased the rate of evaporation, leaving the crops without sufficient moisture.

    Another factor impacting the crops was El Niño.

    This is a recurring, natural fluctuation in weather patterns in the tropical Pacific that drives up global temperatures and can lead to extreme weather in some places. A strong El Niño has been active since last June.

    El Niño years often present challenges for farmers, but global warming is exacerbating those changes, says Ben Clarke, an expert on extreme weather at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College.

    “Increasingly, climate change driven by fossil fuel use is multiplying this natural challenge in many regions. It fuels more extreme conditions, devastates harvests, and makes food costs higher for all,” Mr Clarke said.

    Drought is not the only factor affecting cocoa growers. Both Ivory Coast and Ghana have been hit with an extreme weather double whammy.

    In December last year both countries experienced intense rains. Total precipitation in West Africa was more than double the 30-year average for the time of year.

    The wet and humid conditions allowed a fungal infection called black pod disease to flourish, rotting cocoa beans on the trees.

    The result of these different extreme events has been the same – the price of cocoa has more than trebled since this time last year and doubled in just the last three months.

    Chocolate makers typically buy beans months ahead of time but soaring prices are now beginning to affect prices in the shops.

    “Lots of players who have already announced price increases. We are also part of that group,” Martin Hug, of chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli told city analysts earlier this month.

    Easter eggsEaster eggs

    Easter eggs

    In February Mondelez, the company that owns the Cadbury brand, and the American chocolate maker Hershey were already warning rising cocoa prices could drive up the price of chocolate.

    Feeling the brunt of these price fluctuations are the farmers who grow the cocoa crops.

    There are estimated to be some two million smallholder farmers in the West African cocoa belt who rely on this labour-intensive crop for most of their income.

    Amber Sawyer, an analyst at the climate think-tank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said wealthy countries like the UK can provide financial and technical support to developing countries to help their farmers better cope with extreme weather.

    But she warned that, “as climate change worsens, more support will undoubtedly be needed to protect their livelihoods and keep the flow of cocoa beans coming into the UK.”

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