Year for drought action for the MENA region

Year for drought action for the MENA region

As the proverb goes, it never rains but it pours. The tragic irony of the crippling drought conditions that have hit countries across the MENA region from Jordan to Morocco, is that these conditions increase the risk of flooding when the rains do eventually arrive. These extremes of too much or too little water are bringing misery to communities and businesses, and they occur often in close succession, which means the time to recover is increasingly limited. Climate change is exponentially altering the water cycle beyond normal patterns, and the ripple effects are impacting everything from groundwater, soil quality and erosion to agriculture, food security and economic growth. Furthermore, the cumulative impact hits those already most vulnerable hardest. Yet droughts do not have to define the future of the Middle East and North Africa. With the global spotlight falling on the region’s climate plight this year, ministers, leaders, scientists and practitioners have the chance to leverage greater unity and collaboration to build stronger drought defences for the entire region. With the first MENA Climate Week taking place in the lead up to this year’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt, international attention will undoubtedly shift to the increasing, and increasingly visible,