Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, challenged a United Nations official’s claim that just a small percentage of his wealth could help solve world hunger.
Source: Bloomberg on Twitter, Oct.31, 2021
A day before:
World Food Programme
A “one-time” donation from the top 400 billionaires in the U.S. could help save the lives of 42 million people this year. — @WFPChiefcalls on world billionaires to step up and #FightFamine.
Source: WFP on Twitter, Oct.30, 2021
(CBS News)- Millions are at risk of starving to death — and just .36% of the world’s top billionaires’ net worth could help fix it, U.N. official says
David Beasley, director of the World Food Programme, told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Tuesday that a “one-time” donation from the top 400 billionaires in the U.S. could help save the lives of 42 million people this year. “The governments are tapped out. This is why and this is when … the billionaires need to step up now on a one-time basis, $6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them,” Beasley said. “It’s not complicated.”
David Beasley
@WFPChief
$36 billion in one day –@elonmusk‘s net worth increase due to a@Tesla/@Hertzdeal. Congratulations, Elon! 1/6 of your one day increase would save 42 million lives that are knocking on famine’s door. Unprecedented crisis. Unprecedented wealth. Help!!
Source: David Beasley@WFPChief on Twitter, Oct.28, 2021
On its website, the World Food Programme says it needs $6 billion to avert worldwide famine this year.
Famine alert
Famine is declared when malnutrition is widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation through lack of access to sufficient, nutritious food. Inequality is a critical factor, with low incomes, in particular, putting affordable food beyond the reach of millions.
Famine is declared in an area when at least 20 percent of households face extreme food shortages, at least 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition, and the daily death rate from starvation, or a combination of malnutrition and disease, exceeds 2 people per 10,000.
Beasley pointed toward Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two richest people in the world, who could each individually help those in these situations with a small chunk of their overall change.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has a net worth of $151 billion, according to Forbes, with his wealth increasing by more than 500% from January 2020 to March this year. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Bezos has a net worth of $177 billion.And their net worth is still growing. The week of October 11, Musk’s net wealth increased by $12.7 billion due to Tesla stock gains, according to Forbes, and in just one day, on October 15, Bezos’ generated $5.6 billion from Amazon stock. When news broke that Musk may have beat Bezos for the richest person title, he tweeted at Bezos a silver second place medal emoji.
Meanwhile, Beasley told CNN that millions of others are in a “heartbreaking” situation as they’re “knocking on famine’s door.”
Source: CBS News, Oct.27, 2021
Last Updated on 31.10.2021 by iskova