World Drought Atlas

About this book

Driven by changes in climate, land and water use and management, human population and consumption patterns, droughts worldwide are increasing in frequency, intensity, spatial extent and duration. The last decade has seen extreme, persistent, and recurrent droughts affecting large regions of the world and their populations, economies, and ecosystems. Despite these impacts and the growing risk, droughts have not received commensurate attention with respect to other hazards that have direct and immediately visible impacts. Response and preparedness efforts have not been enough to address the increasing threat posed by drought. Droughts directly impact up to 55 million people annually and are among the costliest and deadliest hazards globally. They impact critical systems including drinking water supply, agriculture, energy supply, trade and navigation, while also threatening ecosystem health and the services they provide. The World Drought Atlas aims to raise awareness of and bring attention to the diverse, multisectoral, and interconnected impacts and showcase solutions to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to drought. While drought risk is growing worldwide, including in regions not traditionally associated with droughts, the impacts are not felt evenly. Low-to-middle-income countries are often more vulnerable to drought and face greater social impacts. In 2022 and 2023 alone, 1.84 billion people, nearly 1 in 4 worldwide, were affected by drought, with about 85 % of them in low-and middle-income countries. Despite the scale of the threat, drought risk management is underfinanced, which limits the deployment of policies and actions.

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