英文外刊阅读: Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages in Africa

Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages as extreme drought and floods sweep southern Africa

By Sarah Dean, CNN

Published 6:53 AM EDT, Thu April 4, 2024

A field of failed corn crops at a farm in Glendale, Zimbabwe on March 11, 2024

More than 24 million people in southern Africa face hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity due to drought and floods, an aid group has warned, as experts say the situation risks spiraling into an “unimaginable humanitarian situation.”

The warning from Oxfam on Wednesday came as Zimbabwe joined other southern African nations in declaring its drought a national disaster, following earlier declarations by Zambia and Malawi.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said more than 2.7 million people in the country will go hungry this year and more than $2 billion in aid is required for the country’s national response, Reuters reported.

The country’s top priority “is securing food for all Zimbabweans,” the president told journalists at the state house in Harare. “No Zimbabwean must succumb to, or die from, hunger.”

The drought has been fueled by El Niño, a natural climate pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean along the equator, which tends to bring high temperatures and low rainfall to this part of Africa. When it does rain, dried-out ground is unable to absorb the moisture, making flooding more likely.

El Niño is exacerbating the impacts of the climate crisis, caused primarily by burning fossil fuels, which is driving more frequent and severe weather — including drought and floods — across southern Africa, a region Oxfam describes as a “climate disaster hotspot.”

As southern Africa enters its traditional dry season this month, vast parts of the region — including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — have already been grappling with a prolonged dry spell.

From late January to February, rainfall levels were the lowest in at least 40 years, a recent report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed.

Central parts of the region experienced the driest February in more than 100 years, according to a report by the United States Agency for International Development’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

People walk home after fetching water from a well, in Pumula East township, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on March 7, 2024.

In Zambia, Malawi and Central Mozambique, extreme drought has damaged more than 2 million hectares of crops, Oxfam said.

Zambia declared its drought a disaster on February 29.

Malawi’s president declared a state of disaster across the majority of the country on March 23. It’s the fourth consecutive year the country has been forced to do this due to the impact of extreme weather conditions. The World Food Programme said this week the El Niño impact is “exacerbating the devastating effects of the climate crisis in Malawi.”

Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change despite being responsible for only a tiny portion of global planet-heating pollution.

In Mozambique — a country accounting for only 0.2% of global emissions — 3 million people face hunger, according to Oxfam. The country’s capital, Maputo, experienced devastating floods in March.

“It is so deeply unjust that climate change impacts are hammering Mozambique over and over again. One of the poorest countries in the world is carrying the costs of the climate crisis it has done little to cause and is being pushed deeper into debt and spiralling poverty,” Teresa Anderson, ActionAid’s International Climate Justice Lead, said last week following the flooding.

“Wealthy polluting countries need to own up to their responsibility for the damage they are doing through climate change and be willing to provide climate finance so that vulnerable communities can cope with the climate disasters that are being unleashed,” she added.

Oxfam’s southern Africa program director, Machinda Marongwe, said the region is “in crisis” and called on donors to “immediately release resources” to prevent the spiral into an “unimaginable humanitarian situation.”

“With all these countries facing multiple crises simultaneously, the urgency cannot be overstated,” Marongwe said.

Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages as extreme drought and floods sweep southern Africa

极其干旱和洪水席卷非洲南部，数千万人面临饥饿和缺水

More than 24 million people in southern Africa face hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity due to drought and floods, an aid group has warned, as experts say the situation risks spiraling into an “unimaginable humanitarian situation.”

一救援组织警告称，由于干旱和洪水，非洲南部超过2千四百万人面临着饥饿，营养不良和缺水的情况，专家称这种情况可能演变成“不可想象的人道主义危机”。

The warning from Oxfam on Wednesday came as Zimbabwe joined other southern African nations in declaring its drought a national disaster, following earlier declarations by Zambia and Malawi.

Oxfam周三发布警告的时候，津巴布韦和其他非洲南部国家一样宣布干旱为国家灾难，此前赞比亚和马拉维也宣布了这一情况。

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said more than 2.7 million people in the country will go hungry this year and more than $2 billion in aid is required for the country’s national response, Reuters reported.

路透社报道，津巴布韦总统Emmerson Mnangagwa称该国今年将有超过270万人陷入饥饿，国家需要20亿美元的援助来进行响应。

The country’s top priority “is securing food for all Zimbabweans,” the president told journalists at the state house in Harare. “No Zimbabwean must succumb to, or die from, hunger.”

该国首要任务“是确保所有津巴布韦人的食物安全”，该总统在Harare议会告诉记者，“任何一个津巴布韦人都不能屈服于或死于饥饿”。

The drought has been fueled by El Niño, a natural climate pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean along the equator, which tends to bring high temperatures and low rainfall to this part of Africa. When it does rain, dried-out ground is unable to absorb the moisture, making flooding more likely.

厄尔尼诺现象加剧了干旱，厄尔尼诺是一种起源于赤道沿岸太平洋的自然气候模式，经常会给非洲这一地区带来高温，降低雨量。下雨时，干涸的地面无法吸收水分，容易发生洪水。

El Niño is exacerbating the impacts of the climate crisis, caused primarily by burning fossil fuels, which is driving more frequent and severe weather — including drought and floods — across southern Africa, a region Oxfam describes as a “climate disaster hotspot.”

厄尔尼诺现象加剧了气候危机的影响，气候危机主要是由燃烧化石燃料引起的，导致了整个非洲南部的恶劣天气更加频繁，包括干旱和洪水，Oxfam会将这一地区描述为“气候灾难热点”。

As southern Africa enters its traditional dry season this month, vast parts of the region — including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — have already been grappling with a prolonged dry spell.

随着非洲南部本月进入传统的干旱季节，该地区的大部分国家——包括安哥拉、博茨瓦纳、刚果、马拉维、莫桑比克、纳米比亚、赞比亚和津巴布韦——已经在与长期干旱作斗争。

From late January to February, rainfall levels were the lowest in at least 40 years, a recent report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed.

联合国人道主义事务协调办公室最近的一份报告显示，从1月下旬到2月，降雨量是至少40年来最低的。

Central parts of the region experienced the driest February in more than 100 years, according to a report by the United States Agency for International Development’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

根据美国国际开发署饥荒预警系统网络的一份报告，该地区中部地区经历了100多年来最干旱的二月。

In Zambia, Malawi and Central Mozambique, extreme drought has damaged more than 2 million hectares of crops, Oxfam said.

在赞比亚，马拉维和莫桑比克中部，极其干旱以及破坏了超过2百万公顷的农作物，Oxfam说道。

Zambia declared its drought a disaster on February 29.

赞比亚在2月29日宣布干旱为灾难。

Malawi’s president declared a state of disaster across the majority of the country on March 23. It’s the fourth consecutive year the country has been forced to do this due to the impact of extreme weather conditions. The World Food Programme said this week the El Niño impact is “exacerbating the devastating effects of the climate crisis in Malawi.”

马拉维总统3月23日宣布全国大部分地区进入灾难状态。这是该国连续第四年因极端天气条件的影响而被迫这样做。世界粮食计划本周表示，厄尔尼诺现象的影响“加剧了马拉维气候危机的毁灭性影响”。

Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change despite being responsible for only a tiny portion of global planet-heating pollution.

非洲南部特别容易受到气候变化的影响，尽管它只造成了全球变暖污染排放的一小部分。

In Mozambique — a country accounting for only 0.2% of global emissions — 3 million people face hunger, according to Oxfam. The country’s capital, Maputo, experienced devastating floods in March.

根据Oxfam，莫桑比克仅仅占全球排放的0.2%，有3百万人面临着饥饿。该国首都Maputo在3月份经历了毁灭性的洪灾。

“It is so deeply unjust that climate change impacts are hammering Mozambique over and over again. One of the poorest countries in the world is carrying the costs of the climate crisis it has done little to cause and is being pushed deeper into debt and spiralling poverty,” Teresa Anderson, ActionAid’s International Climate Justice Lead, said last week following the flooding.

“气候变化的影响一次又一次地袭击莫桑比克，这是非常不公正的。世界上最贫穷的国家之一正在承担其几乎没有造成的气候危机的代价，被推向债务深渊和不断加剧的贫困”，行动援助组织国际气候正义负责人Teresa Anderson上周在洪水发生后说道。

“Wealthy polluting countries need to own up to their responsibility for the damage they are doing through climate change and be willing to provide climate finance so that vulnerable communities can cope with the climate disasters that are being unleashed,” she added.

“那些富裕的造成排放污染国家需要对气候变化造成的损害负起责任，并提供气候资金，以便弱势地区能够应对正在爆发的气候灾难”，她说道。

Oxfam’s southern Africa program director, Machinda Marongwe, said the region is “in crisis” and called on donors to “immediately release resources” to prevent the spiral into an “unimaginable humanitarian situation.”

Oxfam非洲南部项目主任Machinda Marongwe表示，该地区“正处于危机之中”，并呼吁捐助者“立即释放资源”，防止升级为“难以想象的人道主义危机”。

“With all these countries facing multiple crises simultaneously, the urgency cannot be overstated,” Marongwe said.

“所有这些国家同时面临多重危机，非常紧迫”，Marongwe说道。