The world must invest in drought resilience as global warming changes rainfall patterns, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned.
A new report by the group of developed nations predicts that long periods of too little rain and not enough water will become more frequent and severe: Some 25% of the world’s land mass is now exposed to drought, up from 10% in the early 1900s.
Water shortages cause a third of all deaths from natural disasters, as droughts can cripple food production and cause starvation.
The report argues that every dollar invested in water management, climate-resilient farming, and forest and wetland conservation could have a $10 return purely by lessening the impact of future droughts.
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