Global Drought Snapshot report

Global Drought Snapshot report

News: According to the report, ‘Global Drought Snapshot,’ launched by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), mentioned that drought causes more economic loss and affects more sectors of societies.

About:
• The Global Drought Snapshot report is a publication by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of droughts around the world.
• The report reveals alarming trends over the past two years, which have resulted in an unprecedented emergency due to human-induced droughts. It paints a grim picture of the scale of lives and livelihoods lost to droughts.

Key Findings:
• Urgency of Addressing Drought: The report emphasizes the urgency of addressing the pressing issue of drought. It states that global drought resilience is not a matter of choice but a necessity.
• Proactive Measures: The report suggests prioritizing proactive measures, holistic landscape restoration, sustainable water management, regenerative agricultural practices, and disaster preparedness to reduce vulnerability to drought and regenerate healthy ecological systems.
• Unprecedented Emergency: The report reveals alarming trends over the past two years, resulting in an unprecedented emergency due to human-induced droughts.
• Land Restoration and Sustainable Management: The report stresses that land restoration and sustainable management are critical to strengthen drought resilience.

Important Data:
• 70% cereal crops were damaged by drought in the Mediterranean, 2016–2018.
• 33% loss of grazing land in South Africa due to drought
• 75% reduction of cargo capacity of some vessels on the Rhine due to low river levels in 2022, leading to severe delays in shipping arrivals and departures
• 5 million people in southern China affected by record-low water levels in the Yangtze River due to drought and prolonged heat
• 85% of people affected by droughts live in low-or middle-income countries.
• 2 million people in the Central American Dry Corridor needing food aid after five years of drought, heatwaves and unpredictable rainfall.

About UNCCD:
• It is one of three Conventions originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (The other two address climate change (UNFCCC) and biodiversity (UN CBD).
• It is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.