UN-Bericht, 13.5.2022 (engl. Originalfassung)
Throughout the world, people are feeling the impacts of the climate and environmental crises most strongly through water: the land is drying up, fertile grounds are turning to dust and drought is prevailing. In fact, since 1970, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters and 45 percent of all reported deaths. Tragically, 9 in 10 of these deaths occurred in developing countries, where drought led to the largest human losses during this period (WMO, 2021).
Droughts are among the greatest threats to sustainable development, especially in developing countries, but increasingly so in developed nations too. The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades (WMO, 2021). When more than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, this is a huge problem. More and more of us will be living in areas with extreme water shortages, including an estimated one in four children by 2040 (UNICEF). No country is immune to drought (UN-Water 2021).
The facts and figures of this publication all point in the same direction: an upward trajectory in the duration of droughts and the severity of impacts, not only affecting human societies but also the ecological systems upon which the survival of all life depends, including that of our own species.
We are standing at a crossroads, on top of a watershed, where we need to gain a new awareness and consciousness. We need to steer toward the solutions rather than continuing with destructive actions, believing that marginal change can heal systemic failure.
Rigorous scientific knowledge coupled with political will forms the pathway to impact and enable this urgently required planetary action, guided by empowering policies with clear targets and with environmental justice, commitment and willingness at its heart. We must deal with drought urgently, using every tool we can.
One of the best and most comprehensive ways to do so is through land restoration, which addresses many of the underlying factors of degraded water cycles and the loss of soil fertility. We must build and rebuild our landscapes better, mimicking nature wherever possible and creating functional ecological systems.
Restoration helps vulnerable communities adapt to droughts by, for example, increasing water infiltration and retention, which in turn increases agricultural production. Such measures would reduce the estimated 700 million people at risk of being displaced by drought by 2030.
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