View previous stories
	Proposed EU Bill could unravel Corporate Accountability Laws by European Coalition for Corporate Justice, agencies   Mar. 2025   Von der Leyen's bonfire of regulations is an act of vandalism, by Mary Robinson and Phil Bloomer. (EU Observer)   Ursula von der Leyen’s European commission has just signalled that it is shifting towards a Trump-influenced deregulatory agenda that prioritises market freedoms over public interest.   Through Wednesday's (26 February) 'Omnibus' reforms of recently-agreed legal directives and regulations, the commission is dismantling vital safeguards and in so doing will deepen inequality in Europe and beyond and apply convenient myopia to the accelerating climate crisis.   In these new turbulent times, ironies abound. It was von der Leyen’s previous commission that championed forward-thinking business regulations — the sustainable finance framework. These agreed EU laws support markets and companies to accelerate growth to deliver our green economies of the future — where new, well-paid jobs, clean tech, cheap and secure energy are created, and human rights are respected.   They require companies to report on their efforts and act to reduce environmental harm and uphold workers and communities’ rights — not just in their own operations, but across the global supply chains that produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the technology we use. The new commission’s proposals are now for these essential protections to be effectively scrapped, in all but name.   Von der Leyen’s commission’s ‘Omnibus simplification package’ is a proposed act of economic vandalism on Europe’s long-term prospects for growth, competitiveness and sustainability.   The new commissioners have closed their ears to 140 responsible investors, and responsible business associations representing, together, more than 6,000 businesses, large and small.   These leading investors and companies had called for implementation of the new directive, sustained legal certainty, and smart regulation to help responsible business navigate action on climate and inequality.   Instead, the commission has selectively listened to old oil and gas companies and backward-looking business associations.   As the US administration implements wrong-headed policies to maximise short term returns, promote financial speculation, and narrow economic nationalism, Europe must take a different path. The commission, member states, and parliamentarians must hold their nerve.   The opportunity is not just to resist deregulation, but to lead: to direct markets towards long-term value creation and shared economic prosperity. The United Nations and the OECD have set the standards for this approach — one that strengthens the standing of Europe and offers investors and companies the legal certainty and rule of law they need.   The commission’s attempt to eviscerate these sustainability laws must not be agreed by the European Parliament and by the member states.   Responsible investors, banks and companies will join with citizens’ groups across Europe to insist that all the core aspects of the laws are maintained, including:   Firstly, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) must have teeth (civil liability) otherwise reckless companies will ignore it.   Next, the CSDDD as well as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) must include reporting and protections for workers and communities within brands’ full supply chains.   Finally, they must cover a critical mass of companies in order to have a systemic impact and humanise markets.   'Regulation without penalties is no regulation'   The new commission proposes to scrap civil liability for companies that abuse workers and communities. For responsible business, that immediately tilts the playing field in favour of irresponsible business, allowing it, with impunity, to keep polluting and retain forced and child labour in their supply chains.   As the CSDDD’s original architect, EU commissioner Didier Reynders said, regulation without penalties is no regulation.   The new Commission insists that corporations’ human rights and environmental risk assessment focuses on ‘Tier 1’ of supply chains (their immediate suppliers).   This contravenes international business standards, ignores all evidence that the most egregious abuses are conveniently buried below brands’ Tier 1, fuels tick-box approaches rather than smart measures; and once again, disadvantages and disincentivises responsible business that continues to identify and expunge the most severe human rights risks, wherever they are in their supply chains.   The commission seeks to limit the number of businesses that report to only the very largest, and to drastically reduce reporting requirements. Ask any responsible investor what they need to make high-quality judgements about how to invest sustainably and they will say: up-to-date meaningful reporting from across the large portfolio of companies that they are invested in.   That is why so many investors have spoken in support of these sustainability laws. They need this information to make the right investments for our future growth and prosperity.   The arguments from irresponsible business and unscrupulous politicians against these laws, such as ‘regulation stymies growth’ are self-serving fallacies.   All the evidence is that smart regulation stimulates and rewards innovations — creating profit and enhancing workers’ and communities’ welfare.   Today the choice is stark. Is Europe to lead the world in investment and business practice that delivers greater shared prosperity, responsible business, and tackles the climate crisis? Or will it continue with the failed business-as-usual model driving unsustainable inequality and environmental crisis?   The second option is the one that has delivered the fear and uncertainty driving the rise of authoritarianism in Europe. To continue with it is folly.   Across Europe, efforts must now be re-ignited to hold onto the key achievements of the sustainable finance framework. This is not a bureaucratic battle; this is a fight to humanise our economies and address the ecological crisis engulfing our planet.   * Mary Robinson is the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and ex-president of Ireland. Phil Bloomer is chief executive of The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.   http://euobserver.com/eu-political/ara0433565 http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/csddd-transposition/ http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/business/mhrdd/ohchr-commentary-omnibus.pdf http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/07/09/us-lobbying-groups-target-eu-corporate-accountability-law http://www.we-support-the-csddd.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Safeguarding-the-EU-Sustainability-Framework_2025.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/european-commission-measures-simplify-business-environment-must-align-un http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/media-centre/reckless-deregulation-which-could-see-unscrupulous-employers-go-scot-free-eus-corporate-sustainability-rollback-condemned/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/eu-omnibus-proposal-a-devastating-blow-to-eu-environmental-objectives-says-wwf/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/eu-commissions-omnibus-proposal-is-full-scale-deregulation-designed-to-dismantle-corporate-accountability-says-eccj/ http://www.socialeurope.eu/eu-secretly-shields-banks-from-accountability-heres-how http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/business-human-rights-environment/business-and-human-rights/omnibus-announcement-reaction-26-february-csddd-stripped-essence http://www.ips-journal.eu/topics/democracy-and-society/less-bureaucracy-or-less-accountability-8125/   14 Jan. 2025   Proposed EU Bill could unravel Corporate Accountability Laws, by Helene de Rengerve.   This week, Human Rights Watch joined 170 other human rights and environmental organizations and trade unions calling on the European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen to actively protect the European Union’s existing corporate accountability laws.   The statement was made in response to President von der Leyen’s announcement on November 8, 2024, that in order to improve EU competitiveness, she would reduce reporting requirements for companies by 25% and introduce an “omnibus” proposal that could weaken the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and two other corporate sustainability reporting and classification laws adopted during her first mandate at the helm of the commission. The CSDDD is the EU’s corporate accountability law requiring large corporations to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence in their global supply chains.   Civil society organizations have warned that the omnibus bill could act as a trojan horse for political groups opposed to the law to remove important climate and human rights provisions from the CSDDD once back in parliament.   Company lobbyists and conservative politicians argue that compliance costs and reporting obligations are too expensive and stifle businesses. But data shows that the cost of due diligence for large companies is less than 0.01% of their revenue, while between 2016 and 2023, the largest listed EU-based companies made enough profit to distribute $1.501 trillion to their shareholders.   The EU should look to create a human rights economy, where it would be responsible for prioritizing the long-term greater interest of people and the planet through equitable distribution of resources and environmental sustainability over maximization of profits for the benefit of a few.   Therefore, instead of revisiting these essential laws, the European Commission and member states should work to integrate them into national law and enforce them. The EU should encourage a race to the top to protect human rights, the environment, and climate, all while providing companies with a level playing field through clear expectations, legal certainty, and timely and comprehensive guidelines on implementation.   The EU has been a global leader in developing legislation to hold companies accountable for human rights and environmental abuses; now is not the time to step back.   http://corporatejustice.org/publications/joint-statement-on-omnibus/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/omnibus-cso-statement/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/01/16/proposed-eu-bill-could-unravel-corporate-accountability-laws http://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2024/11/26/the-eu-threatens-to-backtrack-on-human-social-and-environmental-rights/ http://www.ips-journal.eu/topics/democracy-and-society/less-bureaucracy-or-less-accountability-8125/   * Joint statement: Omnibus proposal will create costly confusion and lower protection for people and the planet: http://tinyurl.com/ycbkrn4k   15 Mar. 2024 (European Coalition for Corporate Justice, agencies)   Today’s decision by EU capitals to endorse the Belgian Presidency’s political deal on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is a significant step forward in the protection of human rights and the environment from corporate harm. This political endorsement is a landmark decision in favour of regulating businesses to respect the planet and the rights of those impacted by business operations – including women, workers and indigenous communities, and to provide access to justice for victims.   Whilst today’s endorsement by the EU Council is an important step in formally adopting the directive, last-minute changes due to political manoeuvres by several Member States and business lobbies have further watered down a political agreement that had already not fully met international standards and expectations. Disappointingly, the CSDDD will now only apply to roughly 0.05% of EU companies and business activities that typically bear risks for the environment and human rights.   "Today's endorsement of the CSDDD is a significant landmark recognition toward regulating businesses to uphold human rights and environmental standards. The CSDDD will set the ground for responsible business conduct within the EU and beyond. But it is far from a resounding victory for victims and advocates: the endorsed compromise falls short of the ambition of the original trilogue agreement due to last-minute, undemocratic manoeuvres by Member States, who have once again betrayed those they should protect from corporate harm." - Nele Meyer, ECCJ Director   After last week’s deadlock among EU capitals, the Belgian Presidency finally succeeded in brokering a compromise among Member States resulting in the political endorsement of the CSDDD. This came with huge and damaging cuts to – what was meant to be the political deal agreed with the parliament last December. The text agreed today by the Council still needs approval from the European Parliament.   Under the proposal presented to the Council today, we estimate that nearly 70% of companies captured by the political deal of December 2023 would not face accountability for harm to people and the environment.   Following last-minute moves by France, companies will have to be over twice the size than originally previously agreed to fall into scope. The proposal was to reduce the personal scope by raising thresholds from 500 employees to over 1,000 on average and from EUR 150 million to EUR 300 million, eventually reaching EUR 450 million in turnover in the current text.   Even in sectors that are notoriously tainted by atrocious human rights violations – such as textile, mining and the agricultural sector-, only extremely large companies will have to address human and environmental rights abuses in their value chains. This proposed change is even more scandalous considering the European Commission’s initial proposal would have covered just 1% of all EU companies. We estimate that the changes will decrease the total number of EU companies covered by the CSDDD from roughly 16,000 to under 5,500.   http://corporatejustice.org/news/reaction-csddd-endorsement-brings-us-0-05-closer-to-corporate-justice/ http://corporatejustice.org/publications/debunking-7-myths-on-the-csddd http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/eu-new-european-business-human-rights-law-passes-crucial-vote/ http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/business-human-rights-environment/business-and-human-rights/eu-due-diligence-directive-member-states-reach-political-agreement http://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press/csddd-suffers-horse-trading-wars-to-finally-get-eu-members-states-vote-clientearth/ http://www.eurodad.org/make_polluters_pay   28 Feb. 2024   Joint Civil Society Statement: We say YES to the CSDDD   Today’s failure of the EU Council to endorse the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) marks a setback for corporate accountability and the protection of Human Rights and the environment worldwide.   The blockage is largely attributable to big Member States: the early announced abstention from influential Germany – orchestrated by the minority German coalition partner, the FDP, and met with spiritless resistance by Chancellor Scholz – was followed by others. A last-minute attempt by France to derail negotiations by proposing a tenfold increase in company threshold last night increased the uncertainty for other states.   These political games starkly defy the resounding support for the Directive from governments, trade unions, civil society, large, medium and small businesses, and individual citizens. Without binding EU legislation on corporate accountability, national governments fail to address human rights impacts, the exploitation of workers, and impacts on Indigenous People's rights and other traditional communities and natural ecosystems linked to corporate operations.   It is a harrowing failure by EU governments to meet their obligations under international human rights law, and a green-light signal to reckless businesses that they can keep fuelling the climate and ecological crises for corporate profits.   This lack of support threatens a vital piece of EU sustainability legislation, necessary and overdue to trigger the change in business conduct. It is the result of a democratic process in the European Parliament and of extensive negotiations with Member States.   Now more than ever, the Belgian Presidency must rise to the occasion: it is time to circle back to the Member States and ensure a strong majority without haggling over the key principles of the compromise hammered out in the trilogue agreement.   Uku Lilleväli, Sustainable Finance Policy Officer at WWF European Policy Office, said:   “It’s scandalous that, in the 21st century, certain European lawmakers wish to permit companies to ignore human rights and environmental integrity, all under the guise of short-term profits. Let’s be clear: the law wouldn’t burden companies with unnecessary red tape; instead, it would secure a level playing field and help firms navigate necessary transitions in an informed and responsible manner.”   Isabella Ritter, EU Policy Officer at ShareAction, said:   “Those who blocked this legislation today have shown indifference to exploitation of workers and environmental degradation. They let internal political struggles take priority over the well-being of the planet and its people, which is unacceptable. The global community is watching, and the EU’s credibility and leadership is on the line".   Nele Meyer, Director European Coalition for Corporate Justice:   "It is utterly deplorable that EU capitals have turned their backs on the political agreement reached in December. We implore Member States to return to the negotiation table with a renewed sense of urgency. Protecting human rights and the environment is not a poker game. Failure to adopt the CSDDD would be a slap in the face to those people whose lives and livelihoods are being harmed by business operations. Power struggles and indifference must not dictate our future".   Marc-Olivier Herman, EU Policy Lead for economic justice at Oxfam:   "The very late term amendments to the CSDDD – the law that aims to step up companies’ accountability for potential labour, human rights and environmental violations across their supply chain being pursued by Italy, Germany, France, Austria and others amount to effectively blocking and reducing the scope of the legislation”.   “To use the SME argument at this stage is not credible. What is happening now is basically related to the impact on very large businesses,” he said. If any further concession was made on the CSDDD, there would be little left in the text to actually ensure responsible business in the downstream value chain".   “To think that, at this late stage, they can get away with anything, is pitiful,” Herman added commenting on national ministers’ tactical moves.   The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre – a CSO that tracks companies’ labour and environmental practices – highlighted that, among others, in-scope companies would for example be required to provide support and resources to their smaller suppliers to comply with due diligence, and would be called to guarantee fair contractual terms with them.   Mary Robinson, former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and chair of the Elders:   "The directive is not perfect and contains flaws with serious consequences. The effective exclusion of financial institutions, at the behest of vested interests in key EU member states, is a missed opportunity. Investor's due diligence plays a central role in defining their investee companies' behavior. If they continue to demand companies singularly maximize short-term returns to shareholders, most company executives will act accordingly—passing costs and risks down to vulnerable workers and communities".   http://corporatejustice.org/news/reaction-we-say-yes-to-the-csddd-joint-civil-society-statement-reacting-to-lack-of-majority-in-coreper/ http://icar.ngo/civil-society-letter-in-support-of-eu-csddd-to-european-embassies http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/blog/law-of-unintended-consequences-failure-to-adopt-the-eu-due-diligence-directive-will-drive-european-legal-fragmentation/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cso-statement-coreper/ http://www.unicef.org/eu/press-releases/joint-statement-ohchr-undp-unep-unfpa-unicef-and-unops-eu-corporate-sustainability http://corporatejustice.org/news/press-release-csddd-political-deal-a-pivotal-step-but-a-missed-opportunity-to-embrace-transformative-change http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/big-issues/mandatory-due-diligence/ Visit the related web page
	Global Drought Hotspots Report Catalogs Severe Suffering, Economic Damage by PIK, UN Convention to Combat Desertification   July 2025   Global Drought Hotspots Report Catalogs Severe Suffering, Economic Damage.   Fueled by climate change and relentless pressure on land and water resources, some of the most widespread and damaging drought events in recorded history have taken place since 2023, according to a UN-backed report launched today.   Prepared by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with support from the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the latest report Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025 provides a comprehensive account of how droughts compound poverty, hunger, energy insecurity, and ecosystem collapse.   Says UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw: “Drought is a silent killer. It creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion. Its scars run deep.”   “Drought is no longer a distant threat,” he adds. “It is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water all go at once, societies start to unravel. That’s the new normal we need to be ready for.”   “This is not a dry spell,” says Dr. Mark Svoboda, report co-author and NDMC Director. "This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I've ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods, and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on."   “The Mediterranean countries represent canaries in the coal mine for all modern economies,” he adds. “The struggles experienced by Spain, Morocco and Turkiye to secure water, food, and energy under persistent drought offer a preview of water futures under unchecked global warming. No country, regardless of wealth or capacity, can afford to be complacent.”   A wide-ranging crisis   The new report synthesizes information from hundreds of government, scientific and media sources to highlight impacts within the most acute drought hotspots in Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia), the Mediterranean (Spain, Morocco, Türkiye), Latin America (Panama, Amazon Basin), Southeast Asia, and beyond.   Africa: Over 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa face acute hunger. Some areas have been enduring their worst ever recorded drought.   Southern Africa, already drought-prone, was devastated with roughly 1/6th of the population (68 million) needing food aid in August 2024.   In Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, maize and wheat crops have failed repeatedly. In Zimbabwe alone, the 2024 corn crop was down 70% year on year, and maize prices doubled while 9,000 cattle died of thirst and starvation.   In Somalia, the government estimated 43,000 people died in 2022 alone due to drought-linked hunger. As of early 2025, 4.4 million people – a quarter of the population – face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 expected to reach emergency levels.   Zambia suffered one of the world's worst energy crises as the Zambezi River in April 2024 plummeted to 20% of its long-term average. The country’s largest hydroelectric plant, the Kariba Dam, fell to 7% generation capacity, causing blackouts of up to 21 hours per day and shuttering hospitals, bakeries, and factories.   Mediterranean   Spain: Water shortages hit agriculture and domestic supply. By September 2023, two years of drought and record heat caused a 50% drop in Spain’s olive crop, causing its olive oil prices to double across the country.   Morocco: The sheep population was 38% smaller in 2025 relative to 2016s. Turkiye: Drought accelerated groundwater depletion, triggering sinkholes that present hazards to communities and their infrastructure while permanently reducing aquifer storage capacity.   Latin America   Amazon Basin: Record-low river levels in 2023 and 2024 led to mass deaths of fish and endangered dolphins, and disrupted drinking water and transport for hundreds of thousands. As deforestation and fires intensify, the Amazon risks transitioning from a carbon sink to a carbon source.   Panama Canal: Water levels dropped so low that transits were slashed by over one-third, causing major global trade disruptions. Facing multi-week delays, many ships were rerouted to longer, costlier paths via the Suez Canal or South Africa’s infamous Cape of Good Hope. Among the knock-on effects, U.S. soybean exports slowed, and UK grocery stores reported shortages and rising prices of fruits and vegetables.   Southeast Asia   Drought disrupted production and supply chains of key crops such as rice and sugar. In 2023-2024, dry conditions in Thailand and India, for example, triggered shortages.   The 2023–2024 El Nino event amplified already harsh climate change impacts, triggering dry conditions across major agricultural and ecological zones. Drought’s impacts hit hardest in climate hotspots, regions already suffering from warming trends and fragile infrastructure.   “This was a perfect storm,” says report co-author Dr. Kelly Helm Smith, NDMC Assistant Director and drought impacts researcher. “El Nino added fuel to the fire of climate change, compounding the effects for many vulnerable societies and ecosystems past their limits.”   Co-author Dr. Cody Knutson, who oversees NDMC drought planning research, underlined a recent OECD estimate that a drought episode today carries an economic cost at least twice as high as in 2000, with a 35% to 110% increase projected by 2035.   “Ripple effects can turn regional droughts into global economic shocks,” she adds. “No country is immune when critical water-dependent systems start to collapse.”   Women, children among the most affected   Most vulnerable to the effects of drought: Women, children, the elderly, pastoralists, subsistence farmers, and people with chronic illness. Health risks include cholera outbreaks, acute malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure to polluted water.   The report highlights in particular the disproportionate toll on women and children. In Eastern Africa, forced child marriages more than doubled. Though outlawed in Ethiopia, child marriages more than doubled in frequency in the four regions hit hardest by the drought. In Zimbabwe, entire school districts saw mass dropouts due to hunger, costs, and sanitation issues for girls.   In the Amazon, the drought upended life for remote Indigenous and rural communities. In some areas, the Amazon River fell to its lowest level ever recorded, leaving residents stranded – including women giving birth – and entire towns without potable water.   “The coping mechanisms we saw during this drought grew increasingly desperate,” says lead author Paula Guastello, NDMC drought impacts researcher. “Girls pulled from school and forced into marriage, hospitals going dark, and families digging holes in dry riverbeds just to find contaminated water — these are signs of severe crisis."   "As droughts intensify, it is critical that we work together on a global scale to protect the most vulnerable people and ecosystems and re-evaluate whether our current water use practices are sustainable in today's changing world,” Guastello says.   Deputy Executive Secretary of UNCCD Andrea Meza says: “The report shows the deep and widespread impacts of drought in an interconnected world: from its rippling effects on price of basic commodities like rice, sugar and oil from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean; to disruptions in access to drinking water and food in the Amazon due to low river levels, to tens of millions affected by malnutrition and displacement across Africa."   “The evidence is clear”, adds Meza. “We must urgently invest in sustainable land and water management, nature-based solutions, adapted crops, and integrated public policies to build our resilience to drought ---or face increasing economic shocks, instability and forced migration..   http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/global-drought-hotspots-report-catalogs-severe-suffering-economic http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/global-drought-hotspots-report-catalogs-severe-suffering-economic   Mar. 2025   Hunger skyrockets by nearly 80 percent in Eastern and Southern Africa over past five years amidst worsening water crisis. (Oxfam)   The climate crisis has dramatically worsened water scarcity in Eastern and Southern Africa over the past few decades, leaving nearly 116 million people –or 40 percent of the population - without safe drinking water, according to a new Oxfam report.   Climate change is supercharging extreme weather events like droughts, cyclones and flash floods, and has led to the disappearance of more than 90 percent of Africa's tropical glaciers and the depletion of groundwater. This has had knock-on effects on Africa’s small-scale farmers, pastoralists and fisherpersons leaving millions without basic food, drinking water or income.   Oxfam’s report -Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa’s Food Emergency – published ahead of World Water Day, looked at the links between water scarcity and hunger in eight of the world’s worst water crises: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It found that the number of people experiencing extreme hunger in those countries has surged by nearly 80 percent over the past five years – reaching over 55 million in 2024, up from nearly 31 million in 2019. That is two in every ten persons.   The report warns that La Nina weather pattern, which will last through this month, will worsen floods in swaths of Southern Africa and South Sudan while causing severe drought in East Africa further threatening people’s food availability and income.   Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022 and the duration of droughts has risen by 29% since 2000, impacting the most vulnerable communities.   Existing poverty, deep inequality and chronic under-investment along with poor governance in water systems have compounded this climate-fuelled water crisis. African governments are currently meeting less than half the US$50 billion annual investment target required to achieve water security in Africa by 2030.   Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director said:   "The climate crisis is not a mere statistic—it has a human face. It affects real people whose livelihoods are being destroyed, while the main contributors to this crisis—big polluters and super-rich—continue to profit. Meanwhile, national governments neglect to support the very communities they should protect."   The Oxfam report also found that:   In the eight countries studied, 91 percent of small-scale farmers depend almost entirely on rainwater for drinking and farming. In Ethiopia, food insecurity has soared by 175 percent over the past five years, with 22 million people struggling to find their next meal.   In Kenya, over 136,000 square kilometers of land have become drier between 1980 and 2020, which has decimated crops and livestock. In Somalia, one failed rainy season is pushing one million more people into crisis-level hunger, raising the total to 4.4 million—24% of the population.   A farmer from Baidoa, Somalia explains: “In the past, we knew when to farm and when to harvest but that has all changed. The rains now come late or not at all. Last year, I lost all my crops and animals. I have now planted, but the rains have still not come. If this continues, I will not be able to feed my family.”   Deep inequalities mean that disadvantaged people like women and girls are too often the first and most severely punished by this water crisis. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, women and girls walk up to 10 kilometers in search of water, facing violence and extreme exhaustion. Many women and girls in rural households spend hours each day collecting water—time that could otherwise be spent on education or income generation.   “At the heart of this climate crisis lies a justice crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa receives only 3-4 percent of global climate finance, despite being heavily affected by climate change. Rich polluting nations must pay their fair share. It's not about charity, it's about justice.   “African governments must also double down on their investment in water infrastructures and social protection to effectively manage natural resources, and help the most vulnerable communities cope with climatic shocks,” added N’Zi-Hassane.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/hunger-skyrockets-nearly-80-percent-eastern-and-southern-africa-over-past-five-years http://reliefweb.int/report/world/drought-africa-april-2025-gdo-analytical-report http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/resources-details/en/c/1159591/ http://www.wfp.org/stories/hunger-crisis-threatens-west-and-central-africa-lean-season-looms   Jan. 2025   Global increase in the occurrence and impact of multiyear droughts. (Science Journal)   Between 1980 and 2018, the global land area affected by prolonged droughts increased by an average of around 50,000 square kilometres per year, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) said in a study published in the journal Science.   “Multi-year droughts cause enormous economic damage, for example in agriculture and power generation,” said Dirk Karger, head of the study. This has been caused by rising temperatures linked to climate change, the researchers explained. These lead to greater fluctuations in precipitation and at the same time increase evaporation from the soil and vegetation.   Over the last 30 years, Earth has experienced an uptick in both frequency and intensity of these punishing, persistent droughts that can last years to decades, the researchers report. Such lengthy precipitation deficits not only shrink the drinking water supply, but can also lead to massive crop failures, food insecurity, increased tree mortality and increased incidence of wildfire.   The analysis measures the rising global toll of megadroughts from 1980 to 2018. Each year, multiyear droughts affected an additional 5 million hectares of land.   Data on precipitation and evapotranspiration — the transfer of water from soil and plants to the atmosphere — allowed the researchers to identify and map megadroughts during that time period, and rank the events by severity. Nearly every continent on Earth has been subject to megadrought during this period.   The worst was southwestern North America’s long-running dry period, which was particularly severe from 2008 to 2014. That drought was the region’s most extreme in 1,200 years and has helped fuel California’s recent bouts with fire, including January’s unusual wintertime wildfires in Los Angeles County.   The growing severity and frequency in Earth’s megadroughts may push even the most resilient ecosystems past their limits, the researchers highlight.   http://www.newscientist.com/article/2464413-severe-droughts-are-getting-bigger-hotter-drier-and-longer/ http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado4245 http://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu/ http://watercommission.org/#report http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/addressing-global-water-and-food-crisis-crucial-human-rights-says-special http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-highlights-growing-shortfalls-and-stress-global-water-resources   Dec. 2024   Confronting the global crisis of land degradation   A major new scientific report charts an urgent course correction for how the world grows food and uses land in order to avoid irretrievably compromising Earth’s capacity to support human and environmental well-being.   Produced under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in collaboration with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the report is launched as nearly 200 UNCCD member states begin their COP16 summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   Land is the foundation of Earth’s stability, the report underlines. It regulates climate, preserves biodiversity, maintains freshwater systems and provides life-giving resources including food, water and raw materials.   The report, Stepping back from the precipice: Transforming land management to stay within planetary boundaries, draws on roughly 350 information sources to examine land degradation and opportunities to act from a planetary boundaries perspective.   Deforestation, urbanization and unsustainable farming, however, are causing global land degradation at an unprecedented scale, threatening not only different Earth system components but human survival itself.   Moreover, the deterioration of forests and soils undermines Earth’s capacity to cope with the climate and biodiversity crises, which in turn accelerate land degradation in a vicious, downward cycle of impacts.   “If we fail to acknowledge the pivotal role of land and take appropriate action, the consequences will ripple through every aspect of life and extend well into the future, intensifying difficulties for future generations,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.   Already today, land degradation disrupts food security, drives migration, and fuels conflicts.   The global area impacted by land degradation – approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly the size of Russia – is expanding each year by about a million square km.   Planetary boundaries   The report situates both problems and potential solutions related to land use within the scientific framework of the planetary boundaries, which has rapidly gained policy relevance since its unveiling 15 years ago.   The planetary boundaries define nine critical thresholds essential for maintaining Earth’s stability.   How humanity uses or abuses land directly impacts seven of these, including climate change, species loss and ecosystem viability, freshwater systems, and the circulation of naturally occurring elements nitrogen and phosphorus. Change in land use is also a planetary boundary.   Alarmingly, six boundaries have already been breached to date, and two more are close to their thresholds: ocean acidification and the concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere. Only stratospheric ozone – the object of a 1989 treaty to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals – is firmly within its “safe operating space”.   “The aim of the planetary boundaries framework is to provide a measure for achieving human wellbeing within Earth’s ecological limits,” said Johan Rockstrom, lead author of the seminal study introducing the concept in 2009.   “We stand at a precipice and must decide whether to step back and take transformative action, or continue on a path of irreversible environmental change,” he adds.   The benchmark for land use, for example, is the extent of the world’s forests before significant human impact. Anything above 75% keeps us within safe bounds, but forest cover has already been reduced to only 60% of its original area, according to the most recent update of the planetary boundaries framework by Katherine Richardson and colleagues.   Until recently, land ecosystems absorbed nearly one third of human-caused CO₂ pollution, even as those emissions increased by half.   Over the last decade, however, deforestation and climate change have reduced by 20% the capacity of trees and soil to absorb excess CO₂.   Unsustainable agricultural practices   Conventional agriculture is the leading culprit of land degradation, contributing to deforestation, soil erosion and pollution. Unsustainable irrigation practices deplete freshwater resources, while excessive use of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based fertilizers destabilize ecosystems.   Degraded soils lower crop yields and nutritional quality, directly impacting the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. Secondary effects include greater dependency on chemical inputs and increased land conversion for farming.   The infamous Dust Bowl of the 1930s resulted from large-scale land-use changes and inadequate soil conservation.   Land degradation hotspots today stem from intensive agricultural production and high irrigation demands, particularly in dry regions such as South Asia, northern China, the US High Plains, California, and the Mediterranean.   Meanwhile, climate change – which has long since breached its own planetary boundary – accelerates land degradation through extreme weather events, prolonged droughts, and intensified floods. Melting mountain glaciers and altered water cycles heighten vulnerabilities, especially in arid regions.   Rapid urbanization intensifies these challenges, contributing to habitat destruction, pollution, and biodiversity loss.   The impacts of land degradation hit tropical and low-income countries disproportionately, both because they have less resilience and because impacts are concentrated in tropical and arid regions.   Women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and local communities also bear the brunt of environmental decline. Women face increased workloads and health risks, while children suffer from malnutrition and educational setbacks.   Weak governance and corruption exacerbate these challenges. Corruption fosters illegal deforestation and resource exploitation, perpetuating cycles of degradation and inequality.   According to the Prindex initiative, nearly one billion people lack secure land tenure, with the highest concentration in north Africa (28%), sub-Saharan Africa (26%), as well as South and Southeast Asia. The fear of losing one’s home or land undermines efforts to promote sustainable practices.   Agricultural subsidies often incentivize harmful practices, fueling overuse of water and biogeochemical imbalances. Aligning these subsidies with sustainability goals is critical for effective land management.   From 2013 to 2018, more than half-a-trillion dollars were spent on such subsidies across 88 countries, a report by FAO, UNDP and UNEP found in 2021. Nearly 90% went to inefficient, unfair practices that harmed the environment, according to that report.   Transformative action to combat land degradation is needed to ensure a return to the safe operating space for the land-based planetary boundaries. Just as the planetary boundaries are interconnected, so must be the actions to prevent or slow their transgression.   Principles of fairness and justice are key when designing and implementing transformative actions to stop land degradation, ensuring that benefits and burdens are equitably distributed.   Agriculture reform, soil protection, water resource management, digital solutions, sustainable or “green” supply chains, equitable land governance along with the protection and restoration of forests, grasslands, savannas and peatlands are crucial for halting and reversing land and soil degradation.   Regenerative agriculture is primarily defined by its outcomes, including improved soil health, carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement. Agroecology emphasises holistic land management, including the integration of forestry, crops and livestock management.   Woodland regeneration, no-till farming, nutrient management, improved grazing, water conservation and harvesting, efficient irrigation, intercropping, organic fertiliser, improved use of compost and biochar – can all enhance soil carbon and boost yields.   Savannas are under severe threat from human-induced land degradation, yet are essential for ecological and human wellbeing. A major store of biodiversity and carbon, they cover 20% of the Earth’s land surface but are increasingly being lost to cropland expansion and misguided afforestation.   The current rate of groundwater extraction exceeds replenishment in 47% of global aquifers, so more efficient irrigation is crucial to reduce agricultural freshwater use.   Globally, the water sector must continue to shift from “grey” infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, channels, treatment plants) to “green” (reforestation, floodplain restoration, forest conservation or recharging aquifers).   More efficient delivery of chemical fertilizer is likewise essential: currently, only 46% of nitrogen and 66% of phosphorus applied as fertilizer is taken up by crops. The rest runs off into freshwater bodies, and coastal areas with dire consequences for the environment.   New technologies coupled with big data and artificial intelligence have made possible innovations such as precision farming, remote sensing and drones that detect and combat land degradation in real time. Benefits likewise accrue from the precise application of water, nutrients and pesticides, along with early pest and disease detection.   Plantix, a free app available in 18 languages, can detect nearly 700 pests and diseases on more than 80 different crops. Improved solar cookstoves can provide households with additional income sources and improve livelihoods, while reducing reliance on forest resources.   Regulatory action, stronger land governance, formalisation of land tenure and better corporate transparency on environmental impacts are all needed as well.   Numerous multilateral agreements on land-system change exist but have largely failed to deliver. The Glasgow Declaration to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030 was signed by 145 countries at the Glasgow climate summit in 2021, but deforestation has increased since then.   Protecting intact peatlands and rewetting 60% of those already degraded could transform such ecosystems into a net sink, or sponge, of greenhouse gases by the end of the century. Currently, damaged peatlands account for 4% to 5% of global GHG emissions, according to the IUCN.   http://www.unccd.int/resources/reports/stepping-back-precipice-transforming-land-management-stay-within-planetary http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/planetary-boundaries-confronting-global-crisis-land-degradation   June 2024   Poorest areas have zero harvests left. (BBC News)   The UN says 40% of the world's land is already unable to sustain crops. Droughts and flooding have become so common in some of the poorest places on Earth that the land can no longer sustain crops.   Martin Frick, Director of the World Food Programme's office in Berlin, Germany told the BBC that some of the most deprived areas had now reached a tipping point of having “zero” harvests left, as extreme weather was pushing already degraded land beyond use. He said that as a result, parts of Africa, the Middle East and Latin America had a heightened need for humanitarian support.   He warns that without efforts to reverse land degradation globally, richer countries would also begin to suffer crop failures. The Global Environment Facility estimates that 95% of the world’s land could become degraded by 2050. The UN says that 40% is already degraded.   When soil degrades, the organic matter that binds it together dies off. This means that it is less able to support plant life and absorb carbon from the atmosphere (reducing crop yields).   Soil is the second largest carbon sink after the oceans, and is recognised by the UN as a key tool for mitigating climate change. “There's too much carbon in the air and too little carbon in the soils,” Mr Frick says. “With every inch of soil that you're growing, you're removing enormous amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere. “So healthy soils – carbon-rich soils – are one of the prerequisites to fixing climate change.”   Land degradation can also be caused by modern farming techniques removing organic content from soil, but also prolonged droughts interspersed with sudden, extreme rainfall. Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change.   Mr Frick said that in Burundi, in East Africa, months of heavy rain and flooding had damaged 10% of its farmland, making it unusable for the upcoming harvest season. He pointed to a UN report, released in March, which found that cereal crops in the Darfur region of Sudan were 78% below the average for the previous five years amid civil war and drought. Meanwhile, flash floods in Afghanistan earlier this year are estimated to have destroyed 24,000 hectares of land already considered highly degraded.   Environmentalists expect that as soil degrades, failing crops will strain global food supplies and increase migration from affected areas.   “It's going to be disaster for human beings,” says Praveena Sridhar, chief science officer of environmental group Save Soil. Mr Frick says that “what we are seeing is most worrying”.   He said there was currently an “unhealthy dependence” on crops such as wheat, maize and rice, and the few nations that are large-scale exporters of them – creating food shortages that particularly affect the developing world when those nations’ harvests are interrupted. Noting how the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused grain shortages in places such as East Africa.   Mr Frick says that to address land degradation, local communities in vulnerable states should be supported to rejuvenate degraded land through regenerative practices.   He highlights a WFP project in Niger in which local women had created micro-dams in arid land to slow the movement of water, then used dung and straw to create a basin in which trees could be planted. The trees created shade from the sun, allowing the women to grow fruit and vegetables.   “Suddenly, within the space of three to five years, the place that was really a desert comes back as agricultural production land without artificial irrigation,” he said.   But Ms Sridar said the longer it takes to implement these sorts of regenerative farming techniques, the harder it will be to recover lost soil biodiversity – making humans increasingly vulnerable to shocks to the food supply.   http://wmo.int/media/news/un-conference-stop-treating-land-dirt http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/11/global-food-production-at-increased-risk-from-excess-salt-in-soil-un-report-warns http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977r51e1z0o http://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/silent-demise-vast-rangelands-threatens-climate-food-wellbeing-billions Visit the related web page
	View more stories