Will $6 billion solve the problem of world hunger? Elon Musk got the calculations he asked for
Elon Musk declared that he would donate $6 billion to combat the global voice problem if the Head of the World Food Program explains what the money will be spent on. It turned out that the assumption that $6 billion could solve the problem was a gross oversimplification.
At the end of October, David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, expressed his belief that to solve the global problem of hunger, it would be enough for just the two richest people to give up a fraction of their fortune. For them it will be unnoticeable, but it will save millions of hungry people. – $6 billion to help the 42 million people who will die if we don't reach them. It's not complicated, Beasley said in an interview with CNN.
He pointed to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk as people who could donate such amounts without prejudice to themselves. The latter declared that it is ready to support the World Food Program, which would carry out activities aimed at eliminating hunger, with the amount of USD 6 billion, but must first receive clear information on how the goal can be achieved.
“If WFP describes in this Twitter thread how this $6 billion can solve world hunger, I will immediately sell my Tesla shares and do so. But it must be fully open, transparent accounting so that the public knows how the money is spent,” he announced on Twitter, which is his favorite communication channel.
David Beasley didn't keep us waiting long for his reaction. He replied that the $6 billion was intended to “prevent destabilization, mass migration” and would save 42 million people who are on the verge of starvation. “Let's talk, I can fly to your place and if you don't like what I say, you can just throw me out,” Beasley said.
There is a plan, but will it really help solve the problem of hunger?
Musk was not interested in talking in the privacy of his office and repeated that the plan was to be described on Twitter so that other Internet users could also read it. A dozen or so days later, Beasley contacted Musk again via Twitter and pasted a link to an article in which WFP described how it would use the donation. $3.5 billion will be used to purchase food and transport it to countries benefiting from aid. Another 2 billion. hole. will be distributed in the form of cash and food stamps, $700 million. are the costs of creating programs enabling the effective delivery of aid to those in need, and USD 400 million. will cover administrative and logistical expenses.
The second document includes a plan divided into specific regions of the world and countries. It shows that WFP wants to spend $6.596 billion. to save 42.028 million people.
So is it true that Elon Musk could solve world hunger with one donation? Well, no. In the interview with CNN that started the whole thing, the executive director of the World Food Program did not specify that this money would provide food for over 42 million people for just one year. All actions refer only to 2022. The documents only calculated how much it would cost to provide food, but did not include any ideas on how to prevent the beneficiaries from having to use aid in the future. Elon Musk has not reacted yet, so we do not know whether he will find the explanations satisfactory.
