Malnutrition in the OIC Member
Countries: A Trap for Poverty
Between 2030 and 2050, climate change will be expected to cause approximately 250 000
additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress
(WHO n.d). Humanitarian emergencies caused by famine and disasters can (and often do) lead
to acute food shortages, water and sanitation crises and destruction of livelihoods. This can
cause an increase in acute malnutrition, which has a high impact on morbidity and mortality.
Famine and nutritional emergencies can also happen quite suddenly. In terms of nutritional
implications, a modelling of the impact of climate change on nutritional status of children
under five found that, without any mitigation measure, the number of stunted children would
increase by 20 to 25 million (or a 17 to 22% increase), compared to a future without climate
change. South Asia is likely to have the greatest increase in stunting, with up to a 62% increase
in severe stunting in the region (Parry et al. 2014).
Effects of Climate Change in the OIC Member Countries
Two regions which are particularly hard hit by climate change are the fertile crescent of north
Africa, which includes the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt
(International Food Policy Research Institute 2016) and the Sahelian band (which includes e.g.
Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Mali, Chad, Sudan).
Seasonality and climate change
Seasonality is a key factor when considering the impact of climate change on people's
nutritional status, and is most likely to impact those living in regions which rely on rain-fed
agriculture and where the rains are seasonal. Seasonality has been shown to have a significant
impact on people's nutritional status. In India, children born during the summer and heavy
rains period have lower height for their age than children born in December (International
Food Policy Research Institute 2016).
Famine
While it is recognised that climate change may exacerbate levels of undernutrition through
changing rainfall patterns and drought, famine is a much more complicated issue that is caused
by multiple factors including poverty, food insecurity, overcrowding, lack of jobs and lack of
transportation (Devereux, n.d.). The development of transportation and communications
infrastructure has significantly reduced vulnerability to droughts, even when droughts
continue.
If one defines famine as “a shortage of food or purchasing power that leads directly to excess
mortality from starvation or hunger-induced disease”, some argue that while malnutrition
remains a global problem, famine is becoming less of a global challenge. However, global
warming is threatening to undo recent progress (HEART 2015).
Policies to Mitigate Effects of Climate Change in the OIC Member Countries
Many of the regional nutrition and food security policies discussed in the previous section have
elements which specifically aim to address famine and other disasters. The next section
presents additional bodies, policies, agencies or groups actively monitoring global levels of
food security to enable an effective response to famine and disaster, especially in Asia and
Europe.
63