The Drought in Numbers, 2022 report released on May 11th at the ongoing 15th Conference of Parties (CoP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) gives a compendium of drought-related information and statistical data.
“The facts and figures of this publication all point in the same direction: An upward trajectory in the durations of the droughts and the severity of the impacts, not only affecting human societies but also the ecological systems upon which the survival of all life depends, including that of our own species,” said the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw.
Since 2000, the number and duration of droughts has risen 29%😧 This is one of the key takeaways of a new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification ( @UNCCD)
👉Read more: https://t.co/n0wsPzKbnP
📷: Californian drought from space between 2020-2021 pic.twitter.com/GrDpZK6JuA— ESA Earth Observation (@ESA_EO) May 12, 2022
The Report has revealed some concerning facts-
- The number and duration of drought has been increased 29% since 2000.
- From 1970 to 2019 climate, water and weather hazards accounted for 50 percent of the disaster and 45 percent disaster- related deaths, mostly in the developing nations.
- 1n 2022, 160 million children are exposed to severe droughts.
Aridity affects women disproportionately
While hazards like drought have devastating effects on societies, ecosystems, and economies, between 2000 and 2019, impacted around 1.4 billion people. However, it has highlighted the much more serious burden and suffering inflicted on women in the developing economies, especially in terms of education, sanitation, nutrition, and safety.
Specifically, in drylands, the burden of water collection lies on women and young girls of the community, which in turn impacts their health, education, sanitation, etc.
How does drought affect economies?
Furthermore, the report talks about the severe effects of droughts in Africa more than any other continent, with 134 droughts. Drought is a leading cause of crop yield volatility; consequently, low yields can lead to financial losses.
“The effect of severe droughts was estimated to have reduced India’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2 to 5 percent over a period of 10 years (1998 – 2017),” the assessment said.
Burden on ecosystem
While dissecting the agenda the report has painted a grim reality, mentioning that the percentage of plants affected by drought has more than doubled in the last 40 years.
Lately, we have seen a significant increase in cases of forest fires in regions like the Amazon, Australia, etc. In addition to the widespread droughts contributing to forest fires, which resulted in significant financial losses and the loss of habitat for hundreds of species, those forest fires also killed or displaced billions of animals.
All of the precursors indicate that climate change, coupled with higher risk of droughts, a growing population, and increasing challenges to food security, is expected to have a devastating and regionally varied impact across the globe.
Hence, it is high time that humans change their relationship with food, fodder, and fiber, and move towards a plant-based diet and look for sustainable and efficient agricultural techniques.
“One of the best, most comprehensive solutions are land restoration, which addresses many of the underlying factors of degraded water cycles and loss of soil fertility,” said Mr. Thiaw.