75% global population to be affected by drought in 25 years: UNCCD’s ‘Drought Atlas’ provides adaptation guidelines

75% global population to be affected by drought in 25 years: UNCCD’s ‘Drought Atlas’ provides adaptation guidelines

Sub : Geo

Sec : Climatology 

Context:

• World Drought Atlas is launched by the UNCCD & European Commission JRC

Key Findings from the Atlas:

• Projected Impact by 2050: 75% of the global population will be affected by droughts by 2050.
• Purpose & Context:
  • The atlas was co-produced by:
    • Cima Research Foundation (Italy)
    • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)
    • UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (Germany)
• Human Factors & Drought Amplification:
  • Droughts are influenced by both natural and human factors. Human activities like poor land and water management can worsen the effects of droughts.
  • Key factors exacerbating drought impacts include:
    • Unsustainable water use
    • Water competition across sectors
    • Poor land management
    • Inadequate water resource accounting
• The Importance of Data:
  • Proper monitoring and forecasting systems are crucial for managing drought risks.
  • Data sharing will play a key role in reducing the damage caused by droughts.

Specific Impact on India:

• Drought-Related Crop Failures:
  • The atlas highlighted the risk of crop failures in India, particularly a significant loss of soybean yield due to drought.
• Chennai’s Water Crisis:
  • Chennai’s 2019 ‘Day Zero’ incident was cited as an example of how mismanagement of water resources and urbanization led to a severe water crisis.
  • Despite receiving over 1,400 mm of rainfall annually, unplanned urban growth and poor implementation of rainwater harvesting laws resulted in depleted groundwater levels, pushing the city towards a drought-like situation.
  • This highlights that droughts are not always natural phenomena; human actions can significantly influence their occurrence and severity.
• Wider Implications for India:
  • Between 2020 and 2023, India saw riots and tensions linked to water mismanagement, indicating how water scarcity can trigger social unrest.

Global and Policy Call to Action:

• Urgency for Policy Action:
  • The atlas stresses the need for urgent action at the policy level to address and mitigate drought impacts.
  • International cooperation and commitments across sectors are vital.