The record-breaking droughts are becoming a new normal around the globe, prompting officials to radically reconsider their management strategies.
On the opening day of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13, the United Nations launched the World Drought Atlas, the most comprehensive global publication on drought risks and solutions.
To restore degraded lands globally and combat desertification, at least $2.6 Trillion in investments will be needed by the end of the decade.
The year 2024 is projected to be the hottest year on record, with significant droughts already reported in regions including the Mediterranean, Ecuador, Brazil, Morocco, Namibia, and Malawi. These droughts have led to considerable damage, including increased fires and shortages of water and food.
Droughts directly impact about 55 million people each year and are identified as one of the most costly and deadly hazards in the world, according to the atlas published by the UNCCD and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC).
The World Drought Atlas warns that the effects of drought are less noticeable compared to sudden disasters such as floods and earthquakes and consequently attract less attention. However, it emphasizes that droughts should not be underestimated, as they are a systemic phenomenon affecting multiple sectors, including agriculture, energy supplies, trade and shipping, and threatening the health of ecosystems and humans.
In 2022 and 2023, approximately 1.84 Billion people were affected by the indirect consequences of droughts, which can be challenging to estimate and predict. About 85% of those impacted reside in low- or middle-income countries, as indicated by a United Nations report published in late 2023. It is projected that by 2050, three out of four people worldwide will be affected by global warming, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels.
The World Drought Atlas includes numerous maps, graphs, and case studies designed to illustrate how drought risks are interconnected and how they can have cascading effects, contributing to inequality, conflict, and posing threats to public health. For example, droughts can diminish hydropower production, resulting in increased energy prices or power outages. Such scenarios during heat waves could lead to higher hospitalization rates and fatalities due to a lack of cooling or ventilation.
Furthermore, the atlas aims to encourage leaders in both the public and private sectors to fundamentally rethink the way they make decisions and manage drought risks, as stated by UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. The report clarifies that droughts are not simply the absence of rain, snow, or soil moisture, but also result from a mix of natural climate variability, human-induced climate change, and mismanagement of water and land resources. Efforts to manage these risks are underfunded despite the scale of the threat, he noted.
Frequent and severe droughts, exacerbated by climate change and the food demands of a growing population, place communities at greater risk of disruption unless action is taken, Thiaw highlighted in a statement to Reuters ahead of the COP16 talks.
The two-week conference aims to enhance the world’s resilience to drought by reinforcing countries' legal obligations, establishing strategic next steps, and securing funding.
“The bulk of the investments on land restoration in the world is coming from public money. And that is not right. Because essentially the main driver of land degradation in the world is food production... which is in the hands of the private sector,” Thiaw said, adding that as of now it provides only 6% of the money needed to rehabilitate damaged land.
The atlas concludes that unprecedented collaboration between sectors and countries is essential to achieve resilience, calling for proactive and forward-looking approaches to risk management, particularly regarding water management, innovative agricultural practices, and population warning systems.
During the opening ceremony of COP16, Saudi Arabia was officially elected as the President of the conference, marking the beginning of its two-year term focused on driving international action towards land rehabilitation, reclamation, restoration of fertility and vitality, and combating desertification and drought.
The UNCCD is a framework for collective action and international cooperation, adherence to policies to achieve land rehabilitation targets, investment in increasing green areas, innovation to implement sustainable solutions, cooperation in transferring modern experiences and technologies, adopting initiatives and programs to strengthen partnerships between governments, the private sector, local communities, financing institutions, and non-governmental organizations, and agreeing on binding tools that enhance joint international action.
