The United Nations has warned that about 50 million people could face acute hunger as an exceptionally strong El Niño combines with climate change-fuelled heatwaves, drought and extreme weather across several regions.
The warning comes as the world’s biggest oil and gas companies posted a combined $93 billion in second-quarter profits, prompting climate campaigners to renew calls for governments to tax fossil-fuel windfalls and use the proceeds to support communities bearing the brunt of climate change.
Campaigners say record temperatures and the strong El Niño are intensifying drought in vulnerable countries, damaging crops and driving up food prices.
350.org, a global climate campaign organisation, is urging governments to move faster to protect farmers and consumers and mobilise more funding through higher, permanent taxes on fossil-fuel companies.
“Global heating is supercharging extreme weather damage, and the public wants polluters to pay for it,” said Anne Jellema, executive director of 350.org.
“With Big Oil’s earnings skyrocketing while a global food crisis looms, now is the time to act. The only way to stave off a humanitarian disaster is to make those causing it pay upfront, before even more damage is done.”
The impacts are already being felt across several regions.
Drought and hunger in East Africa
Uganda is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with 19 deaths reported and a food crisis worsening in affected communities. Meteorologists have also warned that El Niño could bring severe flooding to parts of East Africa in October.
Ruth Agala, 350.org’s East Africa organiser, said farms were drying up and families were struggling to find food, water and firewood.
Women and girls, she said, were carrying a disproportionate burden as they travelled increasingly long distances in search of basic necessities.
“While oil and gas giants rake in massive second-quarter profits and push forward with planet-heating projects like the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, ordinary Africans are left to pay the price,” Agala said.
“African governments must hold fossil fuel companies accountable with a windfall profits tax that can be used to finance a community-centred, just energy transition. We need public money to solve the problem, not subsidise it.”
Caribbean communities face worsening drought
Across much of the Caribbean, moderate to severe drought linked to El Niño is already affecting communities, with conditions expected to worsen over the coming months and persist into early 2027.
In Puerto Rico, some households are receiving water only three days a week, while unusually large amounts of sargassum seaweed, associated with record ocean temperatures, are affecting fishing activity, according to 350.org.
Amira Odeh Quiñones, the organisation’s Caribbean organiser, said drought and extreme heat were already damaging agricultural production.
“Local farmers are harvesting less, and the price of imported food is rising,” she said.
“Even if we contributed the least to the climate crisis, we are suffering from its harshest effects.”
Indonesia battles drought and fires
In Indonesia, nearly 93% of the country had recorded low rainfall by mid-July, while drought had been reported in almost 500 locations.
Forest fires have also increased even though the country has yet to enter its main wildfire season.
Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, 350.org’s Indonesia manager, said water shortages were contributing to crop failures and warned that food prices would rise as agricultural losses mounted.
She said El Niño had been forecast since March and called on the government to provide reliable early-warning systems to farmers and communities before conditions deteriorate further.
“We urge the Prabowo government to impose a permanent windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to help raise funds for affected communities,” Dewi said.
“Our leaders can’t just watch people go hungry while fossil fuel companies gorge on profits.”
Heatwave hits British farmers
In the United Kingdom, farmers are reporting some of their worst harvests in years as a heatwave grips parts of Europe.
Drought conditions have raised concerns about potential shortages of some food products and further increases in prices.
Ellie May, a 350.org campaigner in the UK, said farmers were already paying the price of extreme heat.
“Britain is baking, and farmers are paying the price,” she said.
“This punishing heatwave isn’t a one-off — it’s constantly rising food bills and food shortages we’ll face again and again unless we act.”
May said governments should make fossil-fuel companies contribute more towards the cost of climate impacts.
“The oil and gas giants driving this crisis are raking in record profits. It’s time the UK government made polluters pay their fair share, so farmers and communities can weather what’s coming,” she said.
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