GAR Special Report on Drought 2021

Abstract

The risks that drought poses to communities, ecosystems and economies are much larger and more profound than can be measured. The impacts are borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable people. Drought impacts are extensive across societies – they interconnect across large areas, cascade through socioecological and technical systems at different scales, and linger through time. A lack of awareness of such characteristics, including the consistent underestimation of the cost of drought impacts, can lead to ineffective response and systemic failure. As understanding of the globally networked aspects of drought and other complex risks improves, the changes required to reduce risk and improve the experience of drought become possible. This Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) Special Report on Drought 2021 aims to take a clear step forward in building that awareness.