A street vendor in Tamil Nadu, India. Informal workers like these make up 88% of the work force. Photo by Yasagan/Wikimedia Commons The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread health and economic hardship, and itâs occuring in parallel to a year of climate-driven catastrophes. East Africans face food shortages after the worst locust invasion in 70 years. Cyclone Amphan in eastern India caused an estimated $13.2 billion in damages and left 500,000 people homeless. Malnutrition is rising precipitously in Guatemala, following drought and coronavirus-related shutdowns, a problem compounded by flooding from Hurricanes Iota and Eta that have devastated the other parts of the country.