We are sailing into a perfect storm
Al JazeeraAnd it may hit us worse than anything that has come before it. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be the immediate triggers for the coming turmoil, but it was actually the combined consequences of the gradual weakening of political representation, decline of the middle class, and rising inequities across the world that brought us here. Indeed, long before the novel coronavirus emerged in China, millions across the world were already highly vulnerable – having only broken promises of social mobility, economic security and social protection. As Russia and Ukraine are important suppliers of cereals, energy sources, and agricultural supplies, the disruptions brought by war will further increase the costs of living and of basic staples, putting 280 million people across the world at risk of starvation. The international community’s response to the increased suffering of the world’s most vulnerable – beyond commendable efforts by some activist groups and communities – have not really gone beyond offering “thoughts and prayers”.
History of this topic
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