All of us have been cursing 2020 every now and then for all the hardships that have fallen upon us this year. We have been eagerly waiting for 2020 to get over and ironically, without having looked at what is yet to come, we have already declared 2020 to be the worst year ever.
While all of us are banking on our hopes for the year to come, the big question: is 2021 really going to be as bright as we are expecting it to be? Will the end of 2020 mark an end to our hardships as well? Let’s be real, is 2021 going to be any better than 2020?
To our despair, the Nobel UN food agency has warned that 2021 is going to be worse than 2020. Cranky, right?
The Backdrop
David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), highlighted the food crisis in an interview. In the month of April, he had issued a warning to the U.N. Security Council that the world was “on the brink of a hunger pandemic”.
All of this was happening in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and Beasley had brought this to the attention of world leaders that the economy might witness famines of biblical proportions if they fail to take actions to mitigate the same.
Fortunately, the famines could be averted in 2020 owing to various stimulus packages offered by the world leaders. We have witnessed financial stimulus, deferrals of debts, and several other financial relief measures across different economies in 2020.
2021 Might Witness Famines Of Biblical Proportions
Beasley mentioned that money that was available in 2020 would not be available in 2021 and this is a major cause of concern for the potential hunger crisis. According to him, the number of people expected to face such a crisis is moving close to 270 million.
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This number stood at 135 million in April 2020 and WEP’s then-analysis showed that this number could be increased by around 130 million, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around three dozen countries could face famine conditions if the expected monetary requirements do not get honoured, Beasley added.
He specified that the World Food Programme would need around USD 5 billion to just avert the famine and USD 10 billion for malnourished children and school lunch meals for youngsters.
Additionally, he expressed deep concern for low-middle-income countries amidst a spike in COVID-19 infection, potential and new lockdowns, nearing deferred debt payments, and economic conditions.
A Ray Of Hope
A COVID-19 vaccine will accelerate optimism in the society, stimulating world economies, especially the western ones. This jumping up of economies would hopefully meet the stimulus requirements for averting a hunger crisis.
Additionally, Beasley is not banking only on governments but on billionaires also for monetary aid. He plans to promote his message across the globe in the months of December and January to avert this crisis.
He assured that the stated monetary aid along with WEP’s money will help in averting floods all over the world. And this could potentially solve other global problems such as migration and destabilization.
Fingers crossed!
Image Sources: Google Images
Sources: Livemint, The Hindustan Times, India Today
Find the blogger: @_RitikaNijhawan
This post is tagged under: Will 2021 be worse than 2020, Is 2021 going to be better than 2020, will pandemic end in 2021, 2020 worst year, bad things that happened in 2020, 2020, pandemic 2021
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