Confronting the risk of drought on the rise

And after the establishment of an intergovernmental drought working group at the UNCCD summit in May, we now have a platform for mobilizing collective action on what the science says is needed. Together we can curb the impacts of drought. But all leaders, down to the community level, will need to commit to doing what it takes to build effective resilience – starting now

The drought may be an ancient wound, but it's getting worse. No region or country today is immune to its effects. Southern Europe is in the grip of a severe drought - Italy's worst in 70 years. In the western United States, the past two decades have been the driest in 1200 years. Chile is in its 13th consecutive year of drought, and Monterrey, Mexico's third-largest city, is now being forced to ration water.

In the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are recording their fourth consecutive year without rain, and the situation has become increasingly dire for people, livestock and the ecosystems that support them. Due to lack of adequate nutrition, children are dying of diseases they would normally survive. Even camels – which typically live longer than humans or other animal species – are dying in large numbers throughout this region.

This suffering evokes traumatic memories of my first encounter with drought in Mauritania. I was not yet 12 years old when every family in our community lost almost everything – food, livestock and livelihood. Unable to provide for their families, many adults took on the world. The experience has stayed with me, motivating my efforts to ensure that no child has to experience what happened to me. Sadly, many people are being traumatized by drought, and many more may soon face the same fate: Scientists project that climate change will increase the frequency, duration and geographic spread of droughts, with three out of four people affected by 2050.

Areas in all regions are becoming drier, and while there is still no consensus on exactly where the most acute drought conditions will occur, scientists agree that land degradation is exacerbating the problem. Worse, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report warns that we are not making enough progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid even worse conditions in the coming decades.

Together, recent traumatic experiences and the latest scientific predictions should convey a sense of urgency, compelling everyone to build resilience to future drought risks. Drought is a natural phenomenon; but it doesn't have to turn into a natural disaster. Land degradation can be mediated at least in part by better land and water use decisions and land restoration initiatives.

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In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) identify successful examples of systems that have reduced the risk of drought among vulnerable populations. In Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Tunisia, a combination of water harvesting and sustainable land management practices are being used to reduce the impact of drought. While it may take time, all countries can adopt similar strategies to help move their people from water scarcity to water security.

However, a major shortcoming of the current approach is that it is based on national systems, even though droughts do not respect political boundaries. Proactive planning across sectors within countries is essential; but without international cooperation, the effects of the drought will eventually reach other countries. Common shock effects include conflicts over reduced water resources, rising food prices or shortages, fires, mass loss of wildlife and livestock, sand and dust storms, displacement of people and forced migration, and civil unrest.

Cooperative arrangements to anticipate and respond quickly to droughts can avoid or reduce the extent of these outcomes. Australia and the US, for example, have long had policies and planning protocols to ensure that affected communities endure droughts with dignity.

Building such resilience globally will take time and political will. Fortunately, even in the most vulnerable regions of the world, policymakers already have foundations on which to build. For example, Africa's Sahel has a regional drought risk system, established 50 years ago to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, from producer associations to political decision makers, and benefit from pooling scientific and technological capabilities at the regional level.

India has adopted an even more comprehensive approach that includes drought management as part of its national disaster management plan. A complex strategy is in place to involve all relevant government ministries and closely coordinate national, state and local responses. After a process that began 15 years ago, India now has an integrated water management system that also serves as a drought warning system.

In June, the US announced that the drought would be considered a strategic domestic and foreign policy priority. As home to one of the most sophisticated and advanced drought monitoring and response mechanisms in the world, the US can help accelerate the development of better risk management systems globally.

Around the world, there is a strong appetite among governments to act quickly before the effects of increasingly frequent and severe droughts become unmanageable. And after the establishment of an intergovernmental drought working group at the UNCCD summit in May, we now have a platform for mobilizing collective action on what the science says is needed.

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Together we can curb the impacts of drought. But all leaders, down to the community level, will need to commit to doing what it takes to build effective resilience – starting now.

(The author is the executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The commentary was written for the global journalism network, "Project Syndicate", of which "Koha Ditore" is also a part.)