Global Drought Outlook Report:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released the Global Drought Outlook Report.
Key Findings:
- Droughts across the world: 40% of the world’s land area faces increasingly frequent and severe droughts.
- Economic impact: 3% – 7.5% annual increase in the economic cost of an average drought episode.
- 35% minimum projected increase in drought-related economic losses by 2035
- Since 1980, 37% of global land has experienced significant soil moisture loss, while water levels in many rivers and aquifers globally are in decline.
- The majority of monitored groundwater table levels have also shown widespread declines in recent decades.
- Despite accounting for only 6% of natural disasters, droughts cause 34% of all disaster-related deaths and exacerbate displacement and migration, especially in SubSaharan Africa.
