Climate change imposed itself in the year 2022 as a global threat that must be confronted, given its serious repercussions, especially on water, which is the backbone of life.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, only 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh, and two-thirds of it is frozen or otherwise unavailable for use, resulting in 1.1 billion people globally lacking access to water, while 2.7 billion people have found water scarcity for at least one month. of the year.
• Drought damage amounts to $38.4 billion worldwide, and considering drought losses for an entire year, this figure already gives 2022 the ninth highest drought damage over the past 48 years
• High temperatures, exacerbated by climate change, made the 2022 Northern Hemisphere droughts responsible for 89 percent of this year’s drought costs.
Year 2022.. Drought is a common bond
Drought or water scarcity was the common link or unified word circulated by all Arab and foreign media, an expression of the state the planet has reached with regard to water due to human activity or climate changes.
• January… drought in the United States
The United States suffers from an alarming drought record. According to the American Drought Observatory, 55 percent of states suffer from drought. For example, California suffers from water scarcity by 78 percent less than the same month in 2020, as moderate to exceptional drought still dominates. On the entire state, which prompted the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, to call on Americans to voluntarily reduce water use by 15 percent to cope with the ongoing drought.
On the other hand, a research paper published this month by the European Institute for Security and Political Studies indicated that precipitation in the Middle East will decrease by 20 to 40 percent, and in the worst case, it will be less by up to 60 percent.
• February… Germany helps Africa to cope with drought
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed Germany’s contribution of €20 million to rescue drought-affected farmers in the Horn of Africa, where between 12 and 14 million people are on the brink of starvation due to drought.
The funding will support more than 115,000 families in three affected countries: Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
• March.. Groundwater is not sufficiently exploited
In the United Nations World Water Development Report published this month, groundwater accounts for 99 percent of the world’s liquid fresh water.
Although many regions suffer from water shortages, with water demand expected to increase by 20 to 30 percent by 2050, groundwater has been overused in some regions, such as northern India and the United States, by 70 percent. It is used for agriculture and irrigation. .
