The United Nations issued a warning on Thursday about climate change causing more unpredictable and severe shifts between floods and droughts worldwide.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization reported that the global water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, with retreating glaciers, droughts, imbalanced river systems, and severe floods causing significant disruptions.
WMO chief Celeste Saulo highlighted in the annual State of Global Water Resources report that the world’s water resources face mounting pressure, while extreme water-related hazards are having a growing impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
Last year was the hottest on record, resulting in extended droughts in northern South America, the Amazon Basin, and southern Africa.
Conversely, regions in central Africa, Europe, and Asia experienced unusually wet weather, suffering from devastating floods and deadly storms, the report noted.
– ‘Increasingly Erratic’ –
Globally, the WMO stated that last year marked the sixth consecutive year of a “clear imbalance” in river basins worldwide.
“Two-thirds experience either excess or insufficient water, highlighting the increasingly erratic hydrological cycle,” it said.
The organization also noted a decline in water quality in major lakes due to warmer temperatures, with glaciers shrinking in all regions for the third consecutive year.
This meltwater contributed approximately 1.2 millimeters to the global sea level rise in one year, heightening flood risks for hundreds of millions in coastal areas, the report cautioned.
The WMO emphasized the need for enhanced monitoring and data sharing globally.
“Understanding and quantifying water resources and hydrological extremes is essential for risk management,” the report stressed, highlighting the dangers of droughts, floods, and glacier loss.
