At a time when unprecedented droughts are becoming a new normal, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission have launched the most comprehensive publication yet the date on drought in the world as an urgent call for attention.
Through dozens of maps, infographics and case studies, the atlas shows how Drought risks are interconnected between sectors such as energy, agriculture, river transport and trade international. It also explains how and why droughts tend to trigger domino effects, fueling inequalities and conflicts and threatening public health.
The Atlas highlights the need for both national drought plans and international cooperation to keep communities, economies and ecosystems afloat in the face of increasingly severe phenomena. Furthermore, it provides guidance for proactive and prospective drought management and adaptation at all levels of governance and in key economic sectors and systems.
Repercussions of droughts
Droughts have increased by 29% since 2000 due to climate change and unsustainable management of land and water resources. The publication explains how worsening drought risks are linked to human activities and delves into the impacts of drought in five key areas: water supply, agriculture, hydropower, inland navigation and ecosystems.
The text also highlights that droughts can help trigger other dangers such as forest fires and heat waves, or can be followed by floods or landslides.
The Atlas describes concrete measures and pathways to manage, reduce and adapt to systemic drought risks; highlights the collateral benefits of these actions for different sectors; and showcases best practices from different regions.
The measures highlighted in the publication are divided into three categories: governance (early warning systems, microinsurance for small farmers, water use pricing systems); land use management (land restoration and agroforestry); and management of water supply and use (wastewater reuse, recharge management and groundwater conservation).
The work, which provides different solutions, concludes with data that urges all institutional, business and social areas to act urgently because “drought will affect three out of every four people in 2050.”