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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Jonathan Watts

Disease and hunger soar in Latin America after floods and drought, study finds

People on boats move through floodwater on a flooded street in Porto Alegre
Flooding in Porto Alegre was caused by devastating torrents and has killed at least 95 people. Photograph: André Penner/AP

Hunger and disease are rising in Latin America after a year of record heat, floods and drought, a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has shown.

The continent, which is trapped between the freakishly hot Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, probably suffered tens of thousands of climate-related deaths in 2023, at least $21bn (£17bn) of economic damage and “the greatest calorific loss” of any region, the study found.

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