‘Let them eat promises‘ is the striking title of the latest report from ActionAid, which once again outlines the gaping void between the rhetoric of rich countries and on the ground delivery.
There is currently a $23 billion dollar shortfall in tackling hunger worldwide, money that has been promised as part of the Millennium Development Goals. With the recession and rising food prices, failing harvests due to climate change, and the increase in both meat eating and biofuels, the problem is set to get worse before it gets better.
Can the world afford another $23 billion? Sure it can, says Meredith Alexander, Head of Trade and Corporates at ActionAid: “Given that the world has already spent $18 trillion dollars propping up the global economy, we know they can afford it. We are asking for peanuts from elephants.”
The Earthbound Report 