Even a 1°C rise in global temperatures could push an additional 70 million people into food insecurity across 45 countries where it operates, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today as COP30 concludes in the Amazon.
Extreme weather is exacerbating a global hunger crisis, as seen in recent disasters Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and Typhoon Fung-Wong in the Philippines. Storms, floods and droughts displace people from their homes, disrupt agricultural systems and break up supply chains. A major retraction in funding for assistance has added to the threat, as many fragile communities will be left without the resources they need to prepare, respond, and recover when weather disasters hit.
"A lack of preparedness is what turns a hurricane into a hunger catastrophe," said Richard Choularton, WFP's Director for Climate and Resilience. "Waiting for a storm to hit before we act is a mistake. We have proven time and again that early, effective and innovative solutions can save lives and protect livelihoods, and we urgently need more support to continue this vital work."
Last year, WFP acted before 16 extreme weather events struck - cyclones, floods, and droughts - across 13 countries. Early warning messages were sent to nearly 14 million people and 1.3 million households received cash transfers to stock up on food and protect livelihoods ahead of extreme weather events. Every dollar invested in anticipatory action save up to seven dollars in losses and faster recovery.
WFP also helps countries to ensure that disaster risk insurance payouts triggered by extreme weather events are used for social subsidies to help the most vulnerable. In 2024, WFP provided US$361 million in financial protection to over six million people through its disaster insurance instruments across 37 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Empowering communities to withstand hunger shocks is key. More financing must reach communities to strengthen local food systems, restore degraded land, and equip smallholder farmers to build resilience.
As COP30 comes to a close in Belem, WFP commends the Brazilian Presidency for its bold Mutirão diplomacy and calls on all stakeholders to turn commitments into actions - keep the 1.5°C threshold within reach, accelerate the adaptation agenda, and ensure climate finance for those who need it the most.
WFP early action to extreme weather events in 2025 include:
• In the Philippines, the government and WFP disbursed multipurpose cash assistance to 157,000 people before typhoon Fung-Wong made landfall in November, to purchase essential items such as food and medicine, materials to reinforce homes, evacuate safely, or secure their livelihoods.
• In October, ahead of Hurricane Melissa , WFP worked with Caribbean governments and partners to help communities prepare for the powerful storm. More than 3.5 million text messages were sent to people in Haiti to help them prepare and stay safe. Food supplies were prepositioned to support 275,000 people for up to 60 days in Cuba. In Jamaica, WFP helped enable access to quick financial liquidity for vulnerable impacted households via national social protection systems. WFP is now intensifying relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas to support local authorities .
• In Pakistan, monsoon floods affected close to seven million people and claimed over 1,000 lives between June and mid-September. WFP supported the national flood response with food and nutrition assistance, directly reaching 224,000 people and strengthening the preparedness and resilience of national systems to enable support for those most in need.
• WFP secured US$80 million in financial coverage through ARC Replica and the Africa Catastrophic Layer, protecting 2.5 million people from weather-related disasters across 11 African countries (Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, The Gambia, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
• WFP addresses the needs of drought-affected communities in the Sahel through a comprehensive package of integrated resilience activities, aiding four million people across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger since 2017. This package includes food assistance for the regeneration of soils, vegetation and water resources, nutrition support, school feeding and capacity strengthening for smallholder farmers. WFP aims to scale up the programme to reach five million people by 2027.
