Why is it in the news?
- The UNCCD’s ‘Global Drought Snapshot’ unveiled at COP28 reveals that drought inflicts extensive economic losses and impacts various sectors of societies.
| United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) · Sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. · Originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, adopted in 1994. · Addresses arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas (drylands). · Aims to combat desertification and achieve sustainable land management. |
Key Highlights
| Category | Details |
| Social Dimensions | – 85% of people affected by droughts in low- or middle-income countries. |
| – 23 million severely food insecure in the Horn of Africa (December 2022). | |
| – 170 million expected to experience extreme drought at 3°C warming, 50 million more than at 1.5°C. | |
| Agriculture and Forests | – 70% cereal crops damaged by drought in the Mediterranean (2016-2018). |
| – 33% loss of grazing land in South Africa; Africa’s drought-related losses in the past 50 years at $70 billion. | |
| – Five consecutive rainfall season failures in Horn of Africa led to the region’s worst drought in 40 years. | |
| Water Conditions | – 75% reduction in cargo capacity on the Rhine in 2022 due to low river levels. |
| – 5 million people in southern China affected by record-low water levels in the Yangtze River. | |
| Remedies Highlighted | – Drought-resistant crops, efficient irrigation, no-till, and soil conservation practices. |
| – Up to 25% CO2 emissions offset by nature-based solutions, including land restoration. | |
| – Efficient Water Management and investment in sustainable water supply systems. | |
| – Promotion of water-efficient technologies; potential 20-50% reduction in water waste with micro-irrigation. | |
| – Investment in meteorological monitoring, data collection, and risk assessment tools. | |
| – Global drought resilience requires international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and environmental and social justice. |
| About Drought · Prolonged dry period in the natural climate cycle; can occur globally. · Slow-onset disaster with a lack of precipitation, impacting health, agriculture, economies, energy, and the environment. · An estimated 55 million people affected by droughts annually. · Water scarcity impacts 40% of the world’s population; 700 million at risk of displacement by 2030.
Type of Droughts · Meteorological Drought: Occurs when dry weather patterns dominate an area; Can begin and end rapidly. · Hydrological Drought: Occurs when low water supply becomes evident, especially in streams, reservoirs, and groundwater levels. Takes much longer to develop and recover compared to meteorological drought. · Agricultural Drought: Occurs when crops become affected. · Socio-economic Drought: Relates to the supply and demand of various commodities in connection with drought.
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Way Forward (Report)
- No alternative to moving forward respecting the planet’s boundaries and interdependencies of all life.
- Need for binding global agreements for proactive measures to curtail drought spells.
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