UN Human Rights Chief Warns of Global Famine Risk

The 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council ends on July 14 in Geneva, Switzerland. Jul. 3, 2023.

Published 3 July 2023

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"Our environment is burning. It is melting. Flooding. Depleting. Drying up. Dying," said Volker Türk.

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Monday in a debate that the world is heading for a scenario with millions of people at risk of famine as a result of climate change.

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"Climate change is projected to put up to 80 million more people at risk of famine by the middle of this century," Türk told the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, which ends July 14 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the official, in 2021 "more than 828 million people faced hunger."

Türk called on environmental policymakers to take immediate action to adequately address the situation that is moving towards a catastrophic future. "Our environment is burning. Melting. Flooding. Depleting. Drying up. Dying," the UN human rights chief said.

On the occasion, the official said that extreme weather events are having a significant negative impact on crops, herds, and ecosystems, leading to increased concern about global food availability.

We can protect our right to a healthy environment & transition to a just, green economy

We can because we know the science. Because we have the tools. Because there’s time to act

But that time is now

And those who must act -have the responsibility to act- are our leaders today pic.twitter.com/vofrSePIqr
— Volker Türk (@volker_turk) July 3, 2023

Türk said that it is in our hands, "the generation with the most powerful technological tools in history," to change the course of events and not deliver "this future of hunger and suffering to our children and their children."

The UN Human Rights Chief criticized world leaders who are not consistent with policies to mitigate climate change. They are "stuck in the short term" when confronted with how climate policies could affect tangentially linked industries such as fossil fuels, Türk said.

The official also criticized figures who deny "climate science," as well as companies that practice "greenwashing," for misleading consumers by exaggerating a product's sustainability or undervaluing its impact on the environment.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that current policies could contribute to a 2.8-degree increase in global warming by the end of the century.