UN chief slams 'distressing' spending on arms over climate

"It is distressing to see governments spending heavily on arms, whilestarving budgets for food security, climate action, and broader sustainabledevelopment," Guterres told a Security Council meeting on the links betweenfood, climate and conflict crises.
"We can break the deadly nexus of hunger, climate chaos, and conflict. Andquell the threat they pose to international peace and security," he said,calling for the United Nations to act with policies addressing all threeissues "together."
Without action, "the situation will deteriorate," he warned. "Conflicts aremultiplying. The climate crisis is set to spiral, as emissions continue torise. And acute food insecurity has been increasing year on year."
UN climate chief Simon Stiell emphasized the links between the three issues,telling the Council that combined they are "devastating."
"There is no national security without food security. And there will be nofood security without enhanced action to stop climate change," he said.
"If heating continues, food production will decline across many countries. Inothers, little will grow at all. Food shortages, price spikes, and hunger arelikely. Without climate action they are almost certain."
To illustrate the fatal link between global warming, agriculture andconflict, several speakers highlighted land-use disputes in West and CentralAfrica between nomadic herders, who sometimes move from country to country,and sedentary farmers, reports BSS.
"Climate change and environmental and security pressures have altered thesemigratory routes," warned Beth Bechdol, deputy director-general of the UNFood and Agriculture Organization, citing countries such as Burkina Faso,Mali and Niger.
"This has led to a steady increase in tensions between farming and herdingcommunities, often linked to growing competition for already scarce naturalresources, such as water and land, or to damage incurred to crops in fields,"she said.