MADAGASCAR is facing the world’s first climate crisis induced famine with more than a million people facing starvation, the United Nations’ food aid agency has warned. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that “famine conditions” are now present in southern parts of the island country and warned that other parts of the world can expect the same in the future. 

The WFP has scaled up ration and nutrition programmes for next month during what the UN has called the “peak of lean season.” 

Close to 30,000 people in Madagascar will be one step away from famine by the end of the year, and some 1.1 million already suffer from severe hunger, according to the agency. 

The island is struggling with exceptionally warm temperatures, drought and sandstorms.

About 38 million people worldwide were displaced last year due to climate change, leaving them vulnerable to hunger, according to WFP executive director David Beasley.

He warned that a worst-case scenario could see the number soar to 216 million people by 2050 – the year most nations have set their targets for achieving carbon neutrality. 

Mr Beasley said that he witnessed heartbreaking scenes in Madagascar during his most recent visit with people reduced to selling their household items, such as pots and pans, to buy food.

He said that crops have wilted and harvests are struggling on the island.

People have taken to eating cactus leaves and children often rely on insects as their main source of nutrition.

“Madagascar is not an isolated incident,” Mr Beasley said.

“The world needs to look to Madagascar to see what is coming your way and [to] many other countries around the world.”

He pointed out that Madagascar, a country of about 28 million people, accounts for only the tiniest fraction of greenhouse gas emissions in global terms.

“What did they do to contribute to climate change?” he asked.

Mr Beasley said that while the top reason for starvation was due to man-made conflict in 2017, climate change has been eclipsing conflicts as the bigger driver in leaving people not knowing where their next meal will come from since then. 

The WFP has been supplying some 700,000 people on the island with food and supplemental nutritional products for pregnant and nursing women and children.