College of the Atlantic's professor of global environmental politics Doreen Stabinsky, above, com...College of the Atlantic's professor of global environmental politics Doreen Stabinsky, above, comments on the radical change necessary for combating the climate crisis.

One of the worst droughts in living memory continues to threaten East and Southern African countries, brought on by the recent El Niño event. More than 40 million people across the continent are projected to be food insecure until early 2017, as maize harvests wither and millions of livestock perish from lack of water and food.

Scientists expect more frequent and more intense droughts in a changing climate. As temperatures rise, soil moisture levels are depleted more quickly. As rainfall patterns change, farmers experience less frequent and/or more intense rains, leading to reduced or failed harvests. The current El Niño impacts give us a glimpse of the future under climate change, with greater variability in yields and greater vulnerability of food systems.

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