!['Silent devastation' of drought set to increase globally as climate change worsens: UN report](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/images/UrduPoint-English-22.png)
- Home
- World
- 'Silent devastation' of drought set to increase globally as climate change worsens: UN report
'Silent Devastation' Of Drought Set To Increase Globally As Climate Change Worsens: UN Report
Sumaira FH Published December 03, 2023 | 01:10 AM
!['Silent devastation' of drought set to increase globally as climate change worsens: UN report](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/images/UrduPoint-English-22.png)
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Dec, 2023) Drought is starting to unfold as an unprecedented planetary-scale emergency, the United Nations has warned.
A new Global Drought Snapshot report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at COP28 in Dubai has warned that drought is becoming a silent killer as climate change worsens.
It warns that it is claiming more lives, causing economic loss, and seriously affecting some areas of society, than ever before.
Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, emphasized the urgency of the situation.
“Unlike other disasters that attract media attention, droughts happen silently, often going unnoticed and failing to provoke an immediate public and political response,” he said.
“With the frequency and severity of drought events increasing, as reservoir levels dwindle and crop yields decline, as we continue to lose biological diversity and famines spread, transformational change is needed.”
The report stresses that land restoration and sustainable management are critical to strengthening drought resilience.
It also urges nature-positive farming techniques, such as growing drought-resistant crops, efficient irrigation methods and soil conservation practices, so that communities can reduce the impact of drought on their crops and incomes.
Efficient water management is another key component of global drought resilience.
This includes investing in sustainable water supply systems, conservation measures and the promotion of water-efficient technologies.
UNCCD also called for disaster preparedness and early warning systems for global drought resilience.
Greater investments in meteorological monitoring, data collection and risk assessment can help respond quickly to drought emergencies and minimize impacts, it said, calling also for international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and environmental and social justice.
The publication includes important drought data, including on geographic spread, agriculture and forests, water conditions, social dimensions, emissions, and more.
For instance, it shows 85 per cent of those affected by droughts live in low or middle-income countries, and that people living in countries classified as highly vulnerable are 15 times more likely to be killed by floods, droughts and storms as those in low vulnerability ones.
It also notes that 1.2 million people in the so-called Central American Dry Corridor – a strip of land across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – need food aid, after going through five years of drought, heatwaves and unpredictable rainfall.
Also on Friday, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released the first-ever findings from its Methane Alert and Reponses System (MARS).
The System uses satellites to monitor methane data to help governments limit anthropogenic emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas – over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (COs) and responsible for a third of today’s global warming.
The term anthropogenic emission refers to emissions caused or influenced by human activity – directly or indirectly.
Atmospheric methane is at its highest level in recorded history, with serious implications for air quality and human health, according to UNEP.
The agency added that human activities in agriculture, waste, and fossil fuel sectors account for more than half of global methane emissions, and the current rate of human activity could see methane levels rise by up to 13 per cent between 2020 and 2030, when they would need to fall by up to 60 per cent over the same period to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
![Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019914.jpg)
Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard
![Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on refor ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019922.jpg)
Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on reform agenda, engagement with IMF
![Finland says Russian vessel violated its territori ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019912.jpg)
Finland says Russian vessel violated its territorial waters
![Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019266.jpg)
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
![West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019264.jpg)
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
![Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murde ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019262.jpg)
Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murder of nationalist ex-MP
![Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris ope ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019015.jpg)
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
![Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inau ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019638.jpg)
Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inauguration reception
![Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Z ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019637.jpg)
Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Zardari at Governor's House
![Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympi ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019635.jpg)
Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympic coach sent home: official
![Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fi ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019013.jpg)
Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fighting against SL
!['Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019634.jpg)
'Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: What we know
More Stories From World
-
Biden talks Gaza ceasefire efforts with king of Jordan
5 hours ago -
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
5 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked ex-presidents going to observe polls
5 hours ago -
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
6 hours ago -
Khan Yunis fighting displaces 180,000 Gazans in four days: UN
6 hours ago -
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
6 hours ago
-
Obama & his wife, Michelle, officially endorse US VP Kamala Harris for president
6 hours ago -
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
6 hours ago -
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
6 hours ago -
S.African police detain 95 Libyans at suspected military camp
6 hours ago -
'Slapping therapist' guilty over UK diabetic woman's death
7 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked flight of ex-presidents going to observe polls
7 hours ago