According to IRIN News (focusing on humanitarian stories in regions that are often forgotten, under-reported, misunderstood or ignored), severe drought in 2018 affected hundreds of thousands of people, including those in East Africa.

In Somalia, food shortages from drought and floods combined with conflict to force people from their homes. World Bank research predicts climate change could force 143 million people by 2050 to migrate within their own countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

2019 could offer an early climate test for the aid sector. The UN’s meteorological agency says there is a 75-80 percent chance of a weak El Niño event developing by February, which could combine with long-term climate change to destabilise already volatile rainfall and temperature patterns around the world. It’s a threat multiplier that could sharpen food insecurity and exacerbate existing emergencies.