In a report from the JRC JRC Center, the Science Service of the European Commission has drawn the global map of water vulnerability, and has identified 12 nations found in the highest risk category by drought.
The analysiswhich classifies countries on a scale of 0 to 10, shows a critical concentration of the threat in Africa and Asia, continents facing devastating consequences for its food security and economic stability.
Beyond the map, The figures of multilateral organisms confirm the magnitude of the problem. According to the United Nations Convention to Fight Desertification, UNCCD, LFrequency and duration of droughts have increased 29% since 2000.
This phenomenon is not only environmental, its economic costs are immense. The World Bank estimates that Water scarcity induced by the weather could cost some regions up to 6% of its GDP by 2050, which would boost migration and conflict.
The African continent is, by broad margin, the region with the highest concentration of countries in critical condition. The list of nations at the maximum vulnerability level includes Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Zimbabue, Namibia and South Africa. In these territories, water scarcity directly threatens subsistence agriculture, livestock and the lives of millions of people.
In the Region of the Middle East and Asia, the combination of climatic factors, overexploitation of resources and geopolitical instability aggravates the risk. The report indicates four countries with extreme exhibition to this threat: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Tayikistan.
Meanwhile, in South America, although several areas have considerable risk levels, only one nation is located in the highest category of the global ranking. This way, The study positions Bolivia as a point of special attention and maximum vulnerability in the region.
