{"id":45751,"date":"2025-06-19T21:24:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T15:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45751"},"modified":"2025-06-19T21:25:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T15:55:05","slug":"global-drought-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-06-2025\/global-drought-outlook","title":{"rendered":"Global Drought Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Organisation for <strong>Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)<\/strong> has released its Global Drought Outlook, highlighting the increasing frequency, and geographical spread of droughts globally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is drought?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Droughts are <strong>periods characterised by a significant hydrological imbalance<\/strong> in water sources or reservoirs, typically marked by <strong>&#8220;drier-than-normal&#8221;<\/strong> weather conditions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These periods are primarily driven by low rainfall and can be further <strong>intensified by high temperatures or strong wind,<\/strong> which accelerate water evaporation, as well as human activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Classification:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Meteorological drought<\/strong> refers to a prolonged period of low precipitation.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agricultural (or ecological) drought<\/strong> refers to a condition where soil moisture is insufficient to meet the needs of crops and vegetation.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hydrological drought<\/strong> occurs when surface or groundwater water levels drop below average over a prolonged period.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The global land area affected by drought <strong>doubled between 1900 and 2020, <\/strong>with <strong>40%<\/strong> of the planet experiencing increased drought frequency and intensity in recent decades.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since 1980,<strong> 37%<\/strong> of global land has experienced significant <strong>soil moisture decline<\/strong>. Similarly, <strong>groundwater levels are falling <\/strong>globally, with 62% of monitored aquifers in decline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Climate change made the<strong> 2022 European drought up to 20 times<\/strong> more likely and increased the likelihood of the ongoing drought in North America by <strong>42%.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Causes of Droughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Natural Causes:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate variability<\/strong>, such as El Ni\u00f1o and La Ni\u00f1a, affects global weather patterns and can result in prolonged dry spells in some regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced snowfall<\/strong> and melting glaciers diminish freshwater sources over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anthropogenic Causes:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Deforestation<\/strong> and land degradation reduce the soil\u2019s ability to retain moisture and disturb the local water cycle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urbanisation<\/strong> leads to soil sealing, which prevents water infiltration and groundwater recharge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unsustainable agriculture<\/strong> and over-extraction of groundwater, especially through inefficient irrigation practices, worsen the drought intensity in some areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Drought<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Environmental Consequences:<\/strong> Droughts severely degrade ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands, leading to loss of biodiversity and reduction in plant biomass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Consequences:<\/strong> Droughts also impact hydropower production, industrial operations, and fluvial trade, reducing efficiency and increasing energy and food insecurity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The economic costs of droughts are rising globally by<strong> 3% to 7.5%<\/strong> annually.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Consequences: <\/strong>They contribute to <strong>food insecurity, migration, water scarcity, and livelihood loss,<\/strong> especially among marginal and vulnerable communities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Droughts account for only <strong>6% <\/strong>of natural disasters but cause <strong>34% of all disaster-related deaths.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Investment in Drought Resilience: <\/strong>Every USD 1 invested in drought prevention yields USD 2 to 3 in benefits, with some resilience projects offering up to ten times the return on investment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecosystem and Land Use Management:<\/strong> Ecosystem restoration improves water retention and soil health. Drought-tolerant crops and adaptive farming help secure food systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cross-Sectoral Action:<\/strong> Include energy, transport, infrastructure, and urban planning in drought resilience strategies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Irrigation efficiency improvements could cut global water use by 76%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Measures Taken in India<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP):<\/strong> Promotes soil and water conservation in drought-prone areas.<br>&#8211; <strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY):<\/strong> Aims to enhance irrigation efficiency and ensure &#8220;more crop per drop&#8221;.<br>&#8211; <strong>National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS): <\/strong>Uses satellite data to monitor drought conditions and aid early warning.<br>&#8211; Promotion of <strong>climate-resilient crops<\/strong> and <strong>contingency crop planning<\/strong> is being encouraged under the <strong>National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).<\/strong><br><strong>United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)<\/strong><br>&#8211; UNCCD was <strong>established in 1994<\/strong> to protect and restore the land and ensure a safer, just, and more sustainable future.\u00a0\u00a0<br>&#8211; is the <strong>only legally binding framework <\/strong>set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.\u00a0<br>&#8211; There are <strong>197 Parties<\/strong> to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the <strong>European Union.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/en\/publications\/global-drought-outlook_d492583a-en\/full-report.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>OECD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released its Global Drought Outlook, highlighting the increasing frequency, and geographical spread of droughts globally.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Impacts of Drought<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Environmental Consequences: Droughts severely degrade ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands, leading to loss of biodiversity and reduction in plant biomass.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Economic Consequences: Droughts also impact hydropower production, industrial operations, and fluvial trade, reducing efficiency and increasing energy and food insecurity.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The economic costs of droughts are rising globally by 3% to 7.5% annually.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Droughts account for only 6% of natural disasters but cause 34% of all disaster-related deaths.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-06-2025\/global-drought-outlook\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45751"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45764,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45751\/revisions\/45764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}