Lomborg: ‘Hunger keeps declining, even with climate change’ – ‘Over the past century, hunger has declined dramatically’
Over the past century, hunger has declined dramatically. In 1928, the League of Nations estimated that more than two-thirds of humanity lived in a constant state of hunger. By 1970, malnutrition afflicted just one-quarter of all people. Since 2008, fewer than one in ten people have been chronically hungry, although both COVID and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have increased the percentage from a low of just over seven per cent in 2017 to nine per cent in 2023. Hunger is way down because incomes have risen dramatically and humanity has become much better at producing food. We have more than quintupled cereal production since 1926, and more than halved global food prices. At the same time, extreme poverty has dropped sharply, allowing parents to buy their children more and better food.
By Marc Morano
March 24, 2025
12:43 pm
https://archive.ph/l5N9R#selection-2991.0-3741.161By Bjorn Lomborg, Special to Financial Post
Excerpt:
We often hear that cutting carbon emissions is a priority because climate change is causing world hunger and even Canada will be hit by higher food prices and less choice. These alarmist claims are far from true, and the policies that usually accompany them would hurt, not help.
Over the past century, hunger has declined dramatically. In 1928, the League of Nations estimated that more than two-thirds of humanity lived in a constant state of hunger. By 1970, malnutrition afflicted just one-quarter of all people. Since 2008, fewer than one in ten people have been chronically hungry, although both COVID and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have increased the percentage from a low of just over seven per cent in 2017 to nine per cent in 2023.
Hunger is way down because incomes have risen dramatically and humanity has become much better at producing food. We have more than quintupled cereal production since 1926, and more than halved global food prices. At the same time, extreme poverty has dropped sharply, allowing parents to buy their children more and better food.
There is obviously still more to do, but securing food for the vast majority of the world has been a great chapter in the human development story.
As we move towards 2050, continuing increases in incomes will almost eradicate extreme poverty. At the same time, food prices will likely decline slightly or stay about the same, as even more people switch to higher-quality, more expensive foods. All credible forecasts see even lower levels of malnutrition by mid-century.
https://www.climatedepot.com/2025/03/24/lomborg-hunger-keeps-declining-even-with-climate-change-over-the-past-century-hunger-has-declined-dramatically/
