Busting myths about food and the climate crisis – and the inequality driving hunger

Ahead of the Cop27 climate conference, it’s high time to address the inequality driving hunger

We don’t need to produce more food, we need to fix a broken food system so that people in places such as Somalia and Kenya are not starving. Picture: Ed Ram/Getty Images

On a recent trip to East Africa, I witnessed life on the brink of famine where one person is likely to die of hunger every 36 seconds between now and the end of the year.

One reason was clear in a parched landscape dotted with dead livestock. The way we live, particularly in rich, polluting countries, has pumped carbon into our overheated planet. In Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, this has led to a devastating drought with over 23 million people experiencing extreme hunger, and many dying.