A new report from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), and the International Drought Resilience Alliance details the widespread and devastating effects of drought from 2023 to 2025. The report highlights the crisis as "a slow-moving global catastrophe," with 90 million people facing acute hunger in Eastern and Southern Africa, where some areas experienced the worst drought on record. Specific impacts include failed maize and wheat crops in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi; 43,000 drought-related deaths in Somalia in 2022 alone; and a 70% year-on-year drop in Zimbabwe's 2024 corn crop, leading to doubled maize prices and 9,000 cattle deaths.

Zambia suffered a severe energy crisis due to drastically reduced water levels in the Zambezi River, impacting the Kariba Dam's hydroelectric power generation and leading to widespread blackouts. The drought's effects extended beyond Africa, impacting Spain's olive crop (50% drop), triggering sinkholes in Türkiye due to groundwater depletion, causing mass fish deaths in the Amazon Basin, and reducing Panama Canal transit by over one-third, disrupting global trade and impacting markets worldwide.

The report recommends stronger early warning systems, real-time drought monitoring, nature-based solutions (watershed restoration, indigenous crops), resilient infrastructure (off-grid energy, alternative water supplies), and global cooperation, especially for transboundary river basins and trade routes.

Impact Statement: The global drought crisis has caused widespread food insecurity, energy shortages, economic disruption, and significant loss of life, underscoring the urgent need for international cooperation and adaptation strategies to mitigate future impacts.