Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2026
65. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the assessment that has been made of the impact of climate change on global food security; and the role Ireland is playing in international efforts to address this challenge. [69366/26]
View answerClimate change is a major driver of global food insecurity through its impact on agricultural production, livelihoods, and food prices. The current projections of a strong El Niño weather pattern in 2026 and 2027 have further intensified these pressures, increasing the risk of hunger and food shortages in vulnerable regions. El Niño is expected to significantly worsen global food security by disrupting rainfall patterns, increasing the frequency of droughts, floods, heatwaves and storms, and reducing agricultural production in many regions.
This situation is compounded by the ongoing conflict affecting Black Sea trade routes, and continued instability around the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The current situation combines disruptions to trade and transport with rising risks to production, severely testing market resilience. This is already affecting vulnerable populations. According to the World Food Programme, an estimated 266 million people were already experiencing acute food insecurity in 2025.
For years, Ireland has been a leader in global efforts to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition. We have been raising the current situation internationally, including during my engagements at he United Nations General Assembly in New York last week. We are also providing significant support to international development and humanitarian organisations, including through our child wasting programme, focused on acute child malnutrition in Africa. The Taoiseach and I announced the second phase of the programme in New York. We are also maintaining significant humanitarian assistance to some of the hardest hit and most food insecure areas in the Horn of Africa, Sudan and the Middle East.
Through our Ireland is fully engaged in analysis of the potential impact of the climate and food security crisis. We are supporting the transformation of agriculture and food systems, with a focus on environmental sustainability, climate resilience, healthy diets, and inclusive economic growth. Our support to international agricultural research is also contributing to the development of new crop varieties and genetic innovations, for climate resilience and food security.
