The world is facing some of the most severe and widespread droughts in recorded history, driven by climate change and unsustainable resource use, according to a new report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), and the International Drought Resilience Alliance.
Describing drought as a “silent killer,” UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said, “It creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion. Its scars run deep.” The report, which covers drought impacts from 2023 to 2025, highlights the urgent need for coordinated global action.
“This is not a dry spell,” emphasized Dr. Mark Svoboda, NDMC Director and co-author of the report. “This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Catastrophic Drought in Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa are among the worst-hit regions. Over 90 million people are now facing acute hunger due to prolonged and severe droughts. The report identifies Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi as among the most affected, with repeated failures of maize and wheat crops.
In Zimbabwe, the 2024 maize harvest dropped by a staggering 70%, maize prices doubled, and over 9,000 cattle perished due to thirst and starvation. Meanwhile, in Somalia, an estimated 43,000 people died from drought-induced hunger in 2022, with crisis-level food insecurity persisting into 2025.
Zambia is now grappling with one of the world’s worst energy crises, as drought drained the Zambezi River to just 20% of its normal flow. Generation capacity at the Kariba Dam, the country’s main hydroelectric power source, plummeted to 7%, triggering daily electricity blackouts lasting up to 21 hours. Hospitals, bakeries, and factories have been forced to close, deepening the humanitarian emergency.
Global Ripple Effects
The report reveals that drought devastation is not limited to Africa. In Spain, two consecutive years of drought and record temperatures caused a 50% drop in the olive crop by September 2023, pushing olive oil prices to historic highs.
In Türkiye, drought has accelerated the depletion of groundwater, triggering dangerous sinkholes and threatening both infrastructure and communities.
In the Amazon Basin, record-low river levels in 2023 and 2024 led to mass fish and dolphin deaths, disrupted drinking water supplies, and halted river transport for hundreds of thousands. Continued deforestation and fires risk transforming the region from a vital carbon sink into a carbon emitter.
Meanwhile, declining water levels in the Panama Canal have reduced global shipping traffic through the route by over one-third, severely disrupting trade. Consequences include falling U.S. soybean exports and food shortages in UK supermarkets.
Urgent Call for Global Action
To confront this escalating crisis, the report recommends several urgent measures, including:
- Strengthening early warning systems
- Implementing real-time drought and impact monitoring
- Promoting nature-based solutions, such as watershed restoration and indigenous crop adoption
- Investing in resilient infrastructure, including off-grid energy and alternative water supply systems
- Enhancing international cooperation, particularly in managing transboundary water resources and global trade routes
“This is a defining moment for global drought resilience,” the report concludes. “Without coordinated action, the impacts will grow more devastating and far-reaching.”
The findings serve as a critical reminder that climate-related disasters such as drought are no longer distant threats but current, intensifying challenges that require immediate, sustained attention from all sectors of society.
Written By Rodney Mbua
