UN warns: “Half of the world is expected to face severe water shortages by 2030”

The United Nations (UN) on Friday called for “immediate action” against drought and desertification to prevent “human catastrophes”, while many other countries are facing severe heat waves.

“It is time to act: every action is important,” said Ibrahim Diaw, executive secretary of the United Nations Conference on the Fight against Desertification (UNCCD), during a conference in Madrid on the eve of World Day Against the World. Drought. “We all know: countries and people are constantly suffering from drought,” he continued, adding that “half of the world’s population is expected to face severe water shortages in the next eight years.

In this context, the UN President stressed the need to “put in place effective precautionary measures and raise sustainable funds” in the face of desertification to avoid “human disasters”. “There is nowhere on earth to hide (…) no country rich or poor is safe,” he concluded.

These reports come from many countries, Including the United StatesBut Spain, Italy and FranceFacing an intense and unusual heat wave for several days at this time of year, the temperature is above 40 degrees, the direct effect of which Global warming.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sசnchez recalled during the conference that “43 degrees” peaks have been recorded in some Spanish cities in recent days, stressing that “we are facing temperatures that are no longer there.” “In the face of scientific evidence, we face an undeniable process (…) global warming, leading to the proliferation of extreme climate events such as the heat wave we are currently experiencing,” he added. He insists.

The Mediterranean countries, Including Spain, is one of the most affected countries in the world by the effects of water scarcity and climate change. According to the Spanish government, 74% of the country is at risk of desertification. According to Pedro Sanchez, “planning” is a situation that represents an important task.

The conference, organized in Madrid, comes a month after COP15 against desertification, which rallied 7,000 people in Abidjan and pledged to reclaim one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030 in response to the “climate emergency”.