The UNCCD, in collaboration with the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and partners, has launched the World Drought Atlas, highlighting the systemic risks of drought across critical sectors like energy, agriculture, river transport and trade, using maps, infographics and case studies to showcase its cascading impacts on inequality, conflict and public health.
The World Drought Atlas serves as a wake-up call, offering insights into the stark realities of drought and calling for urgency in our response. It reminds us that drought lacks regard for borders, leaving no region or country, regardless of their level of development, immune to its impacts. It reminds us that our actions similarly have far-reaching consequences – for all of us. As the world becomes more interconnected, so do the risks we share. To manage these risks, it is critical to understand how our individual and collective decisions and actions, as well as our inaction, influence the risks we face.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, with the support of scientific partners from CIMA Research Foundation, United Nations University, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, have officially released and presented the World Drought Atlas at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh. This Atlas aims to illustrate all dimensions of drought and frame challenges and responses to equip policymakers to take steps and actions towards drought resilience.
The Joint Research Centre provides key scientific research on drought risks and produces near-real-time drought information through the European and Global Drought Observatories (EDO and GDO), which are part of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS).
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, claims that “droughts and water scarcity are a dire reality in Europe and worldwide. They affect how and where we can live, how we feed ourselves, and people’s livelihoods. Combatting drought requires proactively managing drought risks and a coordinated global approach. The new World Drought Atlas will support global cooperation on drought resilience and provides the data we need to find solutions”.
Full Global Drought Atlas available soon in English on this link:
