More than 70 countries in the world, including many in the Mediterranean, are regularly affected by the scarcity of available water
Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get. “Weather is what you expect and (atmospheric) weather is what you get.” The quote, attributed to Mark Twain, reflects an indisputable reality through an aphorism: Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme phenomena such as droughts. According to the latest data, between 1900 and 2019, 2.7 billion people in the world were affected by drought. In the poorest countries, the costs are absolutely disproportionate and translate into famines and loss of life. In particular, droughts have caused 11.7 million deaths over the past century.
Currently, more than 70 countries in the world, including many in the Mediterranean region, are regularly affected by the scarcity of available water. In addition, current scientific forecasts predict that droughts will increase. It is estimated that they will affect more than three quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
Evidence of its growing impact has prompted governments to focus on stronger international engagement and action. On the occasion of the Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2022, celebrated on June 17 and hosted by Spain, experts and political leaders from around the world will meet in Madrid. They will discuss measures and solutions to combat desertification and drought at a conference organized by the United Nations and the Government of Spain, which will also include António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez; the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius; and COP15 President on Desertification, Alain-Richard Donwahi. The institutional level of the day reflects the high priority of the issue for the international community.
We need to develop policies to combat this major environmental, economic and human challenge, and anticipate its impacts to ensure that spatial planning and efforts to address its decline also increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems. Because desertification and drought respond not only to changing weather patterns and the amount of rain received, but also to human decisions about the use of natural resources.
Today, 70 countries have national action plans under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), allowing governments to act as soon as drought warnings emerge. Through them, they develop and share tools to monitor drought and assess the communities that may be affected.
The fact that Spain has been dealing with droughts and their consequences for decades has taught us that droughts must be integrated into hydrological planning and management of water resources, by addressing them in advance and, as far as possible, emergency measures to be avoided when serious situations arise. already reached.
This planned management has produced very positive results. Despite the trend towards reduced water availability, no other drought has had such devastating effects as those between 1991 and 1995, although very similar climatic conditions have been recorded in subsequent years. The development in Spain of hydrological plans and special drought plans have contributed to this. In this way, the supply of the population is assured and the management of scarcity makes it possible to mitigate and avoid the associated economic effects.
The hydrological plans for the third cycle, in the final stages of their approval process, aim to reverse a growing trend in water resource management by reducing allocations for the various water uses by more than 1,000 hm3, in order to adapt to these needs. future scenarios.
In addition to its experience in drought management, Spain is also one of the European countries most vulnerable to desertification. Almost three quarters of its territory consists of arid areas likely to be affected by this phenomenon, 20% of which are considered already affected.
Moreover, climate change is exacerbating this situation with the progressive drying out of the climate and the increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts. Pressure on soil and water use, along with abandoning agricultural and forestry spaces for traditional uses, also promote processes of soil degradation.
Faced with this challenge, Spain is finalizing a new national strategy to combat desertification, fully in line with the new strategic framework of the UNCCD 2018-2030 and the 2030 agenda, in particular the achievement of target 15.3 of neutrality in the damage to the earth. This strategy establishes a framework of actions and measures to promote the planning and integrated management of the area, and the sustainable use of land resources, as well as the restoration of degraded areas.
The protection, enhancement and restoration of Spain’s natural capital also features prominently in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (the Spanish tool for the management of Next Generation EU funds), allocating EUR 1,642 million to biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and sustainable forest management in the period 2021-2023.
Every year, the Day Against Desertification and Drought reminds us of the importance of continuing to work on solutions to combat water scarcity and land degradation that lead us to the best possible scenario. This year, from Spain to the world, with even more reason.
Source: La Verdad
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