Elon Musk is said to be able to feed everyone in the world. But is it true that the world's rich people can end the problem of world hunger?
The UN's World Food Program (WFP) says it needs an additional $6.6 billion in addition to its annual budget to reduce current world hunger. In theory, the richest people on Earth could easily do this year after year. The richest 1% of Americans alone have a combined net worth of $34.2 trillion in 2020.
"The best precedent for such a large donation may be set by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation has approximately USD 50 billion in funding and has contributed more than USD 3 billion to global efforts to eradicate malaria, HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis worldwide in two years." the last decade," wrote Jessica Eise, Assistant Professor of Social and Environmental Challenges at The University of Texas, San Antonio.
Despite some successes in the efforts it finances, such as a new malaria vaccine, reducing hunger remains very difficult. Moreover, more than 400,000 people die every year because malaria is still an issue that needs to be highlighted as well.
"But not everyone cares enough about the plight of the world's poorest people to devote their wealth to overcoming it," says Eise.
Now let's talk about Elon Musk and his fortune. In 2012, Musk signed the Giving Pledge, a public promise to donate at least half of his money during his lifetime. Since signaling plans to become a significant donor, Musk has given relatively little of his wealth to charity and he has not spoken much about his various philanthropic activities. But for sure, his contribution looks to increase in 2021.
In November 2021, Eise highlighted Elon Musk's foundation website showing interest in funding research and advocacy for space exploration, pediatric research, science and engineering education, and the development of artificial intelligence that benefits humans. However, this website does not list grantees or contact information.
"If Musk is looking for a challenge, I believe defeating hunger is much more difficult than going to space. I will invite him to use his money, influence and innovation to solve the world's biggest problems," he added.
"Because ending hunger will first require fighting conflict, eradicating poverty, building much-needed infrastructure and slowing the pace of climate change, and that would be absolutely revolutionary," he said. .
