A farmer in his barren field in Sewena, Ethiopia.- ABC licensed
Drought still grips much of the productive agricultural land across eastern Australia thanks to the El Nino, but the same weather system is affecting millions of people around the world and it could have deadly ramifications, especially in Africa.
The purpose of this article is not to take away from Australians doing it tough, especially in western and northern parts of Queensland, where some of my family live.
Rather, it is to highlight the fact that drought affects people in many different ways.
The Ethiopian government is not particularly fond of pointing out flaws inside its own borders, so it is a big step for the country to admit that more than 10 million people will require food in the coming months.
That is 10 per cent of the population.
As always in slow burn natural disasters like this one. Women and children will be worst affected.
The charity Save the Children estimates that 5.75 million children will face critical food shortages.
"People are becoming very dependent on assistance from the government and humanitarian agencies," said Charlie Mason, humanitarian director for Save the Children in Ethiopia.
"The government has been extremely proactive and forward thinking in trying to future roof the food pipeline â?? but there is only so much food that can be procured on the international market and brought in â?? so aid agencies are also rushing to try to fill that gap."
The 'worst drought' in Ethiopia for 50 years
The famine that gripped Ethiopia during the mid-1980s is well known.
It is thought about 400,000 people lost their lives either through direct starvation, or abuses that occurred because of the country's then insurgency.
While the government is far better equipped to deal with the disaster now, there are warning signs that the current climatic situation is even worse.
"The worst drought in Ethiopia for 50 years is happening right now," said Save the Children's country director in Ethiopia, John Graham.
"The overall emergency response is estimated to cost $1.4 billion, so the world leaders meeting at the Paris climate talks this week must take the opportunity to wake up and act before it's too late."
Other agencies like the World Food Program are working to feed people as well.
It should be remembered that there are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Ethiopia, many from neighbouring South Sudan, where conflict has torn apart the youngest nation on earth.
Others come from Somalia and Eritrea, also neighbours and respectively home to and Islamist terrorists and an authoritarian government.
More than 125 million will need assistance to survive 2016: UN
Right across southern and eastern Africa, El Nino is responsible for a series of droughts.
For many, there are two rainy seasons a year and neither have delivered.
In South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and Somalia not enough rain has fallen to sustain the herds of cattle and goats that sustain so many people.
If people are forced to flee in an effort to find enough to eat the world will learn about food refugees.
"El Nino has led to central America's worst ever recorded drought and Ethiopia's worst drought in 30 years," said the United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien.
"Natural disasters are also expected to worsen next year, linked to the El Nino climatic event which is estimated to be the strongest on record."
The United Nations estimates that across the globe more than 125 million people will need humanitarian assistance to survive 2016 â?? about 8 per cent are Ethiopians.
The government has asked for $US1.4 billion to feed its population, but the global figure is much higher.
"We need $US20.1 billion to do so," Mr O'Brien said.
"This amount is five times the level of funding we needed a decade ago and this is the largest appeal we have ever launched."
The purpose of this article is not to take away from Australians doing it tough, especially in western and northern parts of Queensland, where some of my family live.
Rather, it is to highlight the fact that drought affects people in many different ways.
The Ethiopian government is not particularly fond of pointing out flaws inside its own borders, so it is a big step for the country to admit that more than 10 million people will require food in the coming months.
That is 10 per cent of the population.
As always in slow burn natural disasters like this one. Women and children will be worst affected.
The charity Save the Children estimates that 5.75 million children will face critical food shortages.
"People are becoming very dependent on assistance from the government and humanitarian agencies," said Charlie Mason, humanitarian director for Save the Children in Ethiopia.
"The government has been extremely proactive and forward thinking in trying to future roof the food pipeline â?? but there is only so much food that can be procured on the international market and brought in â?? so aid agencies are also rushing to try to fill that gap."
The 'worst drought' in Ethiopia for 50 years
The famine that gripped Ethiopia during the mid-1980s is well known.
It is thought about 400,000 people lost their lives either through direct starvation, or abuses that occurred because of the country's then insurgency.
While the government is far better equipped to deal with the disaster now, there are warning signs that the current climatic situation is even worse.
"The worst drought in Ethiopia for 50 years is happening right now," said Save the Children's country director in Ethiopia, John Graham.
"The overall emergency response is estimated to cost $1.4 billion, so the world leaders meeting at the Paris climate talks this week must take the opportunity to wake up and act before it's too late."
Other agencies like the World Food Program are working to feed people as well.
It should be remembered that there are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Ethiopia, many from neighbouring South Sudan, where conflict has torn apart the youngest nation on earth.
Others come from Somalia and Eritrea, also neighbours and respectively home to and Islamist terrorists and an authoritarian government.
More than 125 million will need assistance to survive 2016: UN
Right across southern and eastern Africa, El Nino is responsible for a series of droughts.
For many, there are two rainy seasons a year and neither have delivered.
In South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and Somalia not enough rain has fallen to sustain the herds of cattle and goats that sustain so many people.
If people are forced to flee in an effort to find enough to eat the world will learn about food refugees.
"El Nino has led to central America's worst ever recorded drought and Ethiopia's worst drought in 30 years," said the United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien.
"Natural disasters are also expected to worsen next year, linked to the El Nino climatic event which is estimated to be the strongest on record."
The United Nations estimates that across the globe more than 125 million people will need humanitarian assistance to survive 2016 â?? about 8 per cent are Ethiopians.
The government has asked for $US1.4 billion to feed its population, but the global figure is much higher.
"We need $US20.1 billion to do so," Mr O'Brien said.
"This amount is five times the level of funding we needed a decade ago and this is the largest appeal we have ever launched."
Source: weatherzone.com.au
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