(New York, 3rd) A newly released report from United Nations agencies shows that, against the backdrop of climate change and ongoing pressures on land and water resources, since 2023 the world has experienced some of the most widespread and destructive drought events on record. The globe is facing severe drought challenges.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the "2023-2025 Global Drought Hotspots Report," released by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and other organizations, focuses on Africa, the Mediterranean coast, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other regions. It comprehensively analyzes how drought exacerbates poverty, hunger, energy crises, and ecological problems.
The report points out that drought may trigger social, economic, and environmental issues. For example, in some areas of Africa, severe drought is underway, with more than 90 million people in Eastern and Southern Africa facing severe hunger threats; due to dramatically decreased water levels, the average daily transit volume through the Panama Canal sharply declined from October 2023 to January 2024, having a severe impact on global trade; record-low water levels in the Amazon Basin in 2023 and 2024 led to mass fish deaths and simultaneously affected drinking water and transportation for hundreds of thousands of people.
The report notes that the 2023-2024 El Niño event amplified the impacts of climate change, causing drought in some major agricultural and ecological regions, leading these already climate-vulnerable areas to remain under continued pressure.
The report calls on countries to strengthen drought prevention efforts, including establishing more robust early warning systems, enhancing real-time monitoring of drought and its impacts, building resilient infrastructure, and deepening international cooperation.
Project Officer Saigayi of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said in an interview that people need to shift from crisis response to proactive resilience building, such as formulating national drought plans. Notably, drought is not just one department’s issue—coping with drought requires cross-sector collaboration, and drought knows no borders, necessitating deeper international cooperation.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Thiaw said: "Drought is no longer a distant threat... It has already arrived and continues to intensify, urgently requiring global collective action."
According to Xinhua News Agency, the "2023-2025 Global Drought Hotspots Report," released by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and other organizations, focuses on Africa, the Mediterranean coast, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other regions. It comprehensively analyzes how drought exacerbates poverty, hunger, energy crises, and ecological problems.
The report points out that drought may trigger social, economic, and environmental issues. For example, in some areas of Africa, severe drought is underway, with more than 90 million people in Eastern and Southern Africa facing severe hunger threats; due to dramatically decreased water levels, the average daily transit volume through the Panama Canal sharply declined from October 2023 to January 2024, having a severe impact on global trade; record-low water levels in the Amazon Basin in 2023 and 2024 led to mass fish deaths and simultaneously affected drinking water and transportation for hundreds of thousands of people.
The report notes that the 2023-2024 El Niño event amplified the impacts of climate change, causing drought in some major agricultural and ecological regions, leading these already climate-vulnerable areas to remain under continued pressure.
The report calls on countries to strengthen drought prevention efforts, including establishing more robust early warning systems, enhancing real-time monitoring of drought and its impacts, building resilient infrastructure, and deepening international cooperation.
Project Officer Saigayi of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said in an interview that people need to shift from crisis response to proactive resilience building, such as formulating national drought plans. Notably, drought is not just one department’s issue—coping with drought requires cross-sector collaboration, and drought knows no borders, necessitating deeper international cooperation.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Thiaw said: "Drought is no longer a distant threat... It has already arrived and continues to intensify, urgently requiring global collective action."