The global land area affected by drought has doubled in 120 years, and the average cost of droughts has also increased significantly. According to projections, it is expected to rise by at least 35% by 2035, as announced by the OECD in a new report.
In the Global Drought Outlook, the OECD observes that climate change is worsening droughts, which have struck 40% of the planet’s land in recent decades with increasing frequency and intensity. If public agencies act now, in a coordinated way to anticipate, prevent, and adapt to the evolving risk of drought, this could help limit losses and damages, while making populations and economies more resilient to droughts and better able to recover.
Beyond the agricultural sector, droughts harm trade productivity, industry, and energy production. The OECD’s analysis of observed and projected trends reveals the wide-ranging consequences of droughts not only economically, but also environmentally and socially. Since 1980, a significant loss of soil moisture has been recorded on 37% of the world's land surface. Similarly, since 2000, groundwater levels have declined in 62% of monitored aquifers, which supply more than 75% of the world's extracted water. On top of that, droughts also carry a very high human cost, as they are among the deadliest natural disasters, worsen poverty, widen inequalities, and intensify displacement.
“A coordinated, whole-of-government, intersectoral, and transnational approach is needed to address the growing risks of drought and to mitigate their impacts on food security, health, energy, transport, agriculture, peace, and security,” said OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. “Concrete solutions to sustainably manage water, ecosystems, and land can help reduce vulnerability, enhance preparedness, and mitigate the economic repercussions of droughts.”
The report concludes that a proactive adaptation strategy would lessen the harmful effects of drought on populations while strengthening economic resilience and stability.
To bring about system-wide improvement, existing solutions must be more widely adopted. Innovations in water use, particularly in recycling and collection technologies, offer a way to significantly reduce water withdrawal in industry and manufacturing.
Incentives and regulatory alignment should support the development of drought-tolerant crops, and more efficient irrigation systems could drastically lower global water consumption.
Finally, it is crucial to use land and manage ecosystems sustainably in order to enhance natural resilience to drought and to safeguard the vital ecosystem services provided by water.
