Since the beginning of time droughts have always posed a threat for human civilisation and with the worsening status of climate change this threat is only increasing as droughts become more prevalent and last for longer periods of time. The region’s that face the most risk are West Africa, central Asia, southern Europe, northern America and southern Australia.

The most recent Global Assessment report on Disaster Risk Reduction focusses on droughts and their impact, current risk assessment and risk management. The impacts of drought affect agriculture leading to malnutrition and food insecurity , economies as a result of loss of employment and business and trade interruptions and ecosystems and due to the difficulty in quantifying the impact, the extent of damage is usually underestimated.

The report provides extensive case studies following the long cycle of droughts on the African continent and in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea; the Australian Millennium Drought and the subsequent 2016–2020 drought; the Brazil multi-year drought of 2012–2018; the East Africa droughts of 2010–2011 and 2019; and recent experience of drought in North America. These case studies delve into the lived experience of those affected by droughts by analysing policy support formulated to adapt to droughts. The report finds that there is an urgent need for governments to produce national drought policies.

 This is an extensive report at 210 pages and would greatly benefit environmental advocates  and government institutions with a focus on environment and disaster management.