As climate change intensifies, it is imperative for policymakers to address the escalating loss and damage it inflicts on vulnerable communities in developing countries. In India's Maharashtra state, these impacts are forcing rural families into life-altering decisions and migrations to work in sugarcane fields, where exploitative practices by contractors, including …
This publication shows how the three pillars of drought management: (1) monitoring; (2) vulnerability assessment; and (3) risk mitigation and response, help to integrate the management of the two phenomena. With climate change seriously affecting the water cycle in many parts of the world, it is important that stakeholders understand …
A report into the impact of climate change on cities, which is becoming increasingly important as more and more people live in them. One of the most severe impacts, which is already starting to bite, is cities running out of water. Urban areas make up just 1% of the earth’s …
Humanity is “at a crossroads” when it comes to managing drought and accelerating mitigation must be done “urgently, using every tool we can,” says a new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Drought In Numbers, 2022,” released to mark Drought Day at UNCCD’s 15th Conference of …
The report presents an overview of current knowledge and thinking concerning the effectiveness of three distinct layers of financing that set out to address drought risks in different ways. For each of these, results are conceptualized and measured in different ways for disaster risk reduction, adaptation to climate change, and …
The performance of 2021 October-December “short rains/Deyr” rainy season was extremely poor, characterized by a delayed onset of seasonal rains, an erratic temporal distribution, and below-average cumulative rainfall. Across much of the region, this represents the third consecutive season of below-average rains, with severe impacts on household livelihoods, food security …
The Horn of Africa is facing the third severe La Niña‑induced drought episode in a decade, and the region is on the verge of a catastrophe if humanitarian assistance is not urgently scaled up. Drought is particularly impacting Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and exacerbating the humanitarian situation in a region …
Drought frequency, severity, and magnitude have increased in South-East Asia, particularly over the past two decades. Prolonged and severe drought adversely impact agricultural productivity, threatening food security and livelihood of rural households and poor communities. The impact of drought is not limited to water consumption for agricultural purposes but also …
To what extent do the behavioral choices of Zambian smallholder farmers influence the negative effects of climate shocks, and what impact do these choices have on vulnerability and resilience? This paper uses nationally representative, three-wave household-level panel data to investigate these questions. The empirical estimation employs an instrumental variable probit …
Migration shapes the lives of those who move and transforms the geographies and economies of their points of departure and destinations alike. The water sector, and the availability of water itself, implicitly and explicitly shape migration flows. Ebb and Flow, Volume 1. Water, Migration, and Development presents new global evidence …
Drought has directly affected 1.5 billion people so far this century, more than any other slow-onset disaster. This number will grow dramatically because of climate change, environmental degradation and demographic shifts. Urgent action is therefore needed to improve drought management and prevention, according to this new report by UNDRR. Drought …
This study examines the negative effects of climate change and how they relate to human mobility in designated countries located in East, West and Southern Africa. It outlines the risks on the livelihood faced by many Africans because of increasingly unpredictable weather events that complicate access to primary necessities while …
Between 2014 and 2016 unprecedented and consecutive climatic shocks ravaged Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. The largest ever emergency relief operation in the country’s history ensued. The pathways and extent to which the humanitarian response protected livelihoods remain under researched. This paper uses a unique data …
Climate change is increasingly affecting health care facilities in many settings around the world. To reduce climate change risks, health care facilities need to be resilient. Climate-resilient health care facilities are those that are able to anticipate, respond to, cope with, recover from and adapt to climate-related shocks and stress, …
This briefing explores the health impacts of climate change in Europe and suggests key opportunities for increased ambition with a focus on adaptation. The briefing highlights key health impacts from climate change including wildfires, heatwaves and extreme temperatures, the spread of infectious diseases and droughts. It outlines the opportunities to …
A forward-looking measure of “vulnerability to poverty” is estimated and a concerted effort is made to understand the sources of vulnerability in the drought-prone lowlands of Ethiopia. Using the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey and the Welfare Monitoring Survey of 2016, the analysis reveals that vulnerability is remarkably higher in the …
The Ready for the Dry Years publication series has been a part of joint efforts between ESCAP and ASEAN to support Member States to prepare for intensifying drought risk, by assessing patterns of drought hazard exposure and vulnerability, highlighting drought impacts, and assessing future drought risks in the decades ahead. …
This working paper introduces a methodological concept that translates the pre-monsoon seasonal outlook to multi-sector impact-based forecasting. Building on the seasonal forecasts for precipitation available from South Asia Climate Outlook Forums (SASCOFs) and risk profiles of the region from the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2019, it provides customized risk scenarios and …
75% of India’s districts are hot spots of extreme climate events finds Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in this new report. With an unusual spike in extreme events since 2005, these districts are bearing the effects of changing microclimate with loss of property, livelihoods and lives. The study …
This publication presents findings from a climate change risk and adaptation assessment in southern Viet Nam as part of ADB’s Water Efficiency Improvement in Drought-Affected Provinces (WEIDAP) project. It highlights new developments and key lessons on climate risk assessment that may be applied to the project design and monitoring as …
This second edition of Ready for the Dry Years reveals that the severity of two drought events during 2015-2016 and 2018-2020 exceeds anything recorded in the past two decades, since the major El Niño of 1997-1998. Evidence presented in the Report shows that this could be set to continue as …
