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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 7 July 2022
U.N.: 2.3 billion people severely or moderately hungry in 2021

From Front looming catastrophe.” goals were adopted.
According to the report, The gender gap in food in-
By EDITH M. LEDERER of the estimated 2.3 billion security, which grew during
Associated Press people who were mod- the COVID-19 pandemic,
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — erately or severely “food widened even further from
World hunger rose in 2021, insecure” in 2021, the num- 2020 to 2021, the report
with around 2.3 billion peo- ber facing severe food in- said.
ple facing moderate or security rose to about 924 Driven largely by widening
severe difficulty obtaining million. differences in Latin Amer-
enough to eat -- and that The prevalence of “under- ica and the Caribbean as
was before the Ukraine nourishment” -- where food well as in Asia, it said that
war, which has sparked in- consumption is insufficient “in 2021, 31.9% of women
creases in the cost of grain, to maintain an active and in the world were moder-
fertilizer and energy, ac- healthy life -- is used to ately or severely food inse-
cording to a U.N. report re- measure hunger. Under- cure compared to 27.6% of
leased Wednesday. An Ethiopian woman stands by sacks of wheat to be distributed nourishment continued to men.”
“The State of Food Security by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in the Tigray rise in 2021, and the report In 2020, the report said, an
and Nutrition in the World” region of northern Ethiopia Saturday, May 8, 2021. estimates that between estimated 22% of children
paints a grim picture, Associated Press 702 million and 828 million under the age of 5 — or
based on 2021 data, saying fecting prices of grain, fer- around the world into fam- people faced hunger last 149 million — had stunted
the statistics “should dispel tilizer and energy” resulting ine,” World Food Program year. growth and development
any lingering doubts that in more price increases in Executive Director David The report said hunger while 6.7% — or 45 million —
the world is moving back- the first half of 2022. At the Beasley said at a U.N. event kept rising in Africa, Asia, suffered from wasting, the
wards in its efforts to end same time, they said, more launching the report. “The and Latin America and the deadliest form of malnutri-
hunger, food insecurity and frequent and extreme result will be global desta- Caribbean in 2021, but at tion. At the other end of the
malnutrition in all its forms.” climate events are also bilization, starvation and a slower pace than from scale, it said 5.7% of young-
“The most recent evidence disrupting supply chains, mass migration on an un- 2019 to 2020. sters under 5, or 39 million,
available suggests that especially in low-income precedented scale.” “In 2021, hunger affected were overweight.
the number of people un- countries. He said in an online briefing 278 million people in Africa, “Looking forward, the gains
able to afford a healthy Ukraine and Russia togeth- that WFP’s latest analysis re- 425 million in Asia and 56.5 we made in reducing the
diet around the world rose er accounted for almost a veals that “a record 345 mil- million in Latin America and prevalence of child stunt-
by 112 million to almost 3.1 third of the world’s wheat lion acutely hungry people the Caribbean,” it said. ing by one-third in the pre-
billion, reflecting the im- and barley exports and are marching to the brink U.N. development goals vious two decades -- trans-
pacts of rising consumer half of its sunflower oil, while of starvation,” and “a stag- call for ending extreme lating into 55 million fewer
food prices during the (CO- Russia and its ally Belarus gering 50 million people in poverty and hunger by children with stunting -- are
VID-19) pandemic,” the are the world’s No. 2 and 3 45 countries are just one 2030, but the report says under threat by the triple
heads of five U.N. agencies producers of potash, a key step away from famine.” projections indicate that 8% crises of climate, conflict,
that published the report ingredient of fertilizer. There’s a real danger that of the world’s population -- and the COVID-19 pan-
said in the forward. “The global price spikes in the number of people fac- nearly 670 million people demic,” the five U.N. agen-
They warned that the war food, fuel and fertilizers that ing famine will rise in the -- will be facing hunger at cy chiefs said. “Without
in Ukraine, which began on we are seeing as a result of coming months, Beasley the end of the decade. intensified efforts, the num-
Feb. 24, “is disrupting sup- the crisis in Ukraine threat- said, urging world leaders That’s the same number of ber of children with wasting
ply chains and further af- ened to push countries “to act today to avert this people as in 2015 when the will only increase.”q

Granholm, actor Robert Downey Jr.

boost clean energy jobs

“Iron Man” actor encour- ture law signed last year by Downey the Energy De-
aging applicants from di- President Joe Biden. partment is “looking for
verse backgrounds to join In the animated video, folks to help us with pretty
the department’s “clean Downey says viewers may much everything,’’ from
energy corps” and take on know him from one of his scientists to IT specialists,
jobs aimed at accelerating “many day jobs” as a bil- civil engineers, electrical
deployment of clean en- lionaire superhero in “Iron engineers and more.
ergy such as wind and solar Man” or “world’s greatest “My gosh, we mean every-
power. detective,” Sherlock Hol- body!” exclaims Downey,
Participants will help build mes. holding a coffee cup de-
thousands of miles of elec- “But now I’ve got this sweet claring him the “world’s
tric transmission lines to new office over the De- best DOE intern.’’
carry wind and solar power partment of Energy, and “So why not come work
Robert Downey Jr. signs autographs as he arrives at the premiere and take on other jobs to I’ve already been putting with us and help the plan-
of “Avengers: Endgame” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, research, develop and de- in some crazy hours help- et while you are at it?’’ he
April 22, 2019. ploy ways to produce en- ing out the Clean Energy adds, as Granholm extols
Associated Press
ergy while cutting planet- Corps,’’ Downey says. “I’ve the “nice” benefits, includ-
By MATTHEW DALY 1,000 new workers focused warming greenhouse gas been working with some ing a healthier Earth.
Associated Press on climate change and emissions, Granholm said. amazing people on fan- The video will be played on
WASHINGTON (AP) — The clean energy. The new job corps is part of tastic new solutions” to cli- the Energy Department’s
Energy Department is Energy Secretary Jennifer $62 billion awarded to the mate change. YouTube channel and fea-
teaming with actor Robert Granholm on Wednesday Energy Department under Granholm, who also ap- tured on social media.q
Downey Jr. to recruit up to released a video with the the bipartisan infrastruc- pears the video, tells