Financial TimesFinancial Times

Why famine in Madagascar is an alarm bell for the planet

By Charlie Bibby

02 Aug 2022 · 10 min read

Editor's Note

The first ever climate induced famine is happening in southern Madagascar, according to the UN. This article explains why the rest of the world should pay attention.

The UN says it is the first famine caused by climate change. Those caught up in it describe a desperate fight to surviveThe UN has called it the world’s first climate-change-induced famine. Madagascar’s government agrees it is a result of the west’s carbon-fuelled lifestyle. A number of scientists and experts disagree, saying it is actually a consequence of poverty and poor governance.

For the people of southern Madagascar, unaware of the international furore, it is known simply as kere — the hunger.

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