More than 822 million people worldwide are malnourished, and 113 million of those people are in dire situations, desperately in need of food. Additionaly, more than 9 million people die every single year from hunger and  hunger-related diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.

World hunger is complicated as it has several different levels that build upon each other. One of the main and most obvious causes behind world hunger is poverty. Hundreds of millions of people around the world lack the resources and money to grow or buy food, leaving htem hungry.

So, on Oct. 31, when trillionaire Elon Musk tweeted at the World Food Program, a humanitarian organization focused on making sure no one in any part of the world goes hungry, tweeting “If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it,” the world erupted in excitement and interest.

While this would be an excellent immediate solution for many people around the world, $6 billion is not enough to solve a problem of world hunger. Although the immediate reason for Musk’s tweet was sparked by a CNN article stating that just 2% of his fortune could solve the entire issue of world hunger, it turns out that is not the case. Musk’s ability to now save 42 million people is not something to shy away from, yet his $6 billion donation will not be able to cover the expense of such a significant and deeply-rooted issue impacting upwards of 820 million people.

While there was no plan laid out in response by David Beasley, Director of the WFP, although he did mention that 6 billion dollars could not solve all world hunger, yet would help prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration, and would provide food to upwards of 42 million people that are currently starving.

Another main issue with world hunger is the constant waste of food. Worldwide each year, more than 2.9 trillion pounds of food are wasted,  enough to feed every malnourished person at least twice. The main problem with this issue is that a random sum of money, no matter how much, cannot combat it or make significant changes. Food waste is directly linked to how people, no matter wealth, act when eating. Some may take too big of a serving, some may go for seconds when they’re already full, and some might just throw it away. Donating $6 billion  will only be a temporary solution.

While Musk’s $6 billion donation could be a step in the right direction, it would come nowhere close to solving such a big issue. E If it truly only cost $6 billion to patch the entire issue, why has it not yet been done? Billionaire individuals and rich nations have been established parts of society for at least the past 10-20 years, so why are we now making the first step in change?

So, even though Musk may not be willing to give up several more billion dollars, his current donation will significantly help the issue and hopefully spark similar contributions from billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Larry Elison and many more. Several donations identical to Musk’s, assuming he does end up pulling through, will allow us to reach over the gap and mark the first step in silencing the global issue.

Unfortunately, most of this chatter concluded around Nov. 2, and there have not been any updates on Musk’s plan and whether he will pull through with the decision. Even though most users on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook believe that Musk will carry out his alleged plan, it is still up in the air.

Still, we should be very impressed with Musk’s goal, and he deserves to be praised for what he plans to do. Even though some may argue that all of his wealth deserves to be donated to organizations like the WFP, Musk easily could keep his Tesla shares to himself. While he still has not pulled the trigger on a final decision, Musk’s $6 billion donation could prove to be one of, if not the largest donation in history towards a cause in dire need of help. As Musk continues to develop and ponder his decision to donate such a large sum of money, the world holds its breath to see how big of an impact the $6 billion will have and how that $6 billion will form the foundation towards the resolution of the hunger crisis through its prevention of geopolitical instability and mass migration, and how the money will provide food to upwards of 42 million people in dire need of food.