A global atlas monitors record drought waves on the planet.. What is the story?

Record droughts on the planet have become a “new norm,” forcing officials to radically reconsider the way they are managed, according to a warning issued by the United Nations on Monday, by publishing a global atlas of this phenomenon on the first day of the United Nations Summit to Combat Desertification.

The year 2024, which is expected to be the hottest ever on Earth, witnessed several droughts in the Mediterranean region, Ecuador, Brazil, Morocco, Namibia, and Malawi, causing major damage, including fires and scarcity of water and food.

Direct damage from drought

The direct effects of drought affect about 55 million people every year, and it constitutes one of the most costly and deadly risks in the world, as noted by the atlas published by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, in partnership with the European Commission’s Center for Scientific Research.

While the Atlas warned that the effects of drought “are less visible than those resulting from sudden events such as floods and earthquakes, and attract less attention,” it stressed the need not to underestimate drought waves, as they constitute, due to the domino effect, a “systemic phenomenon” that affects several sectors, such as agriculture. energy supply, trade and shipping, and threaten the health of ecosystems and people.

1.84 billion people were affected

About 1.84 billion people were affected in 2022 and 2023 by the effects of droughts, including indirect ones whose extent is sometimes difficult to estimate and predict.
About 85% of them live in low- or middle-income countries, according to the Atlas, based on a United Nations report published at the end of 2023.
It is expected that the proportion of those affected will reach 3 out of every 4 people in the world by the year 2050, due to climate warming caused especially by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Drought risk interconnections

Through dozens of maps, graphs and case studies, the atlas aims to show how drought risks are interconnected, and how they can have cascading effects, contributing to fueling inequality and conflicts, and posing a threat to public health, according to a statement.

Drought, for example, can lead to a reduction in hydroelectric power production, causing higher energy prices or power outages, and if this occurs during a heat wave, it may lead to a greater number of people being hospitalized, and to an increase in deaths due to a lack of ventilation or cooling. .

Brahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, whose Sixteenth Conference of the Parties is being held in Riyadh from December 2 to 13, explained that the Atlas also aims to encourage public and private sector officials to radically reconsider their way of making decisions and managing drought risks.

Natural climate fluctuations

The report of this agreement explained that droughts are not merely the absence of rain, snow, or soil moisture, but are also caused by a combination of natural climate fluctuations, climate change resulting from human activity, and human mismanagement of water and land resources.

He noted that there is a lack of funding for management efforts despite the size of the threat.

The Atlas concludes that unprecedented collaboration between sectors and countries is essential to achieving resilience, calling for proactive and forward-looking approaches to risk management, particularly with regard to water management, innovative agricultural practices and population warning systems.

Convention to Combat Desertification meeting

The largest meeting of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification kicks off in Riyadh, with an agenda full of activities to advance multilateral action on land degradation, drought and desertification.
A number of dignitaries, policymakers, global institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations, and concerned parties arrived in Riyadh before the launch of this extremely important event, with the aim of accelerating global initiatives to restore land fertility and enhance capabilities to confront drought.

Conference start date

The first few days of the conference, which runs from 2 to 13 December, are scheduled to witness a number of forums, high-profile events and ministerial dialogues, and the announcement of further actions and initiatives to address the pressing challenges associated with land degradation and drought.
On December 2, the Saudi presidency of the conference will launch the pioneering Riyadh Global Initiative to Combat Drought, in order to accelerate international efforts to confront the challenges of drought, and to ensure a more coherent global approach to addressing this global crisis in a proactive manner.

Efforts aimed at enhancing the world’s capabilities to cope with drought are a core focus on the agenda of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh, as the high-level “One Water” summit will be held in Riyadh on December 3 to discuss global water scarcity and related challenges.

Global water governance

This summit, which was announced on the sidelines of the COP28 Conference of the Parties in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aims to strengthen global water governance.
Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, will participate in it.
Meanwhile, the two-day Saudi Green Initiative Forum on December 2 and 3 will attract hundreds of policymakers, business leaders and industry experts from around the world.
The initiative’s pavilion in the Green Zone at COP16 Riyadh will welcome visitors to explore the progress made in the energy and environment tracks of the initiative itself, as well as exchange best practices and future expectations.