The United Nations warns: An upcoming epidemic has no cure if we do not take urgent measures to address it

The United Nations has declared that drought could be humanity's next epidemic, if countries do not take urgent action to tackle climate change.

"Drought is on the cusp of becoming the next epidemic, and there is no vaccine to treat it. In the next few years, most of the world will suffer from water shortages and demand will outpace supply," the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori, said in a statement on the organization's website. ".

The United Nations stressed that "people have lived in drought conditions for five thousand years, but now we see something different."

The statement indicated that the data, obtained, indicate that at least one and a half billion people have already suffered from drought in the twenty-first century, and the economic damage is estimated at about 124 billion dollars.

According to experts, the exact amount of losses is several times greater, because the data presented do not reflect most of the losses incurred by developing countries from this natural phenomenon.

She explained that many people believe that drought affects only the desert areas of Africa, but it is now widespread and by the end of the century almost all countries will experience water shortages in one form or another.

Changes in rainfall due to climate change have been observed in recent years, which is the main cause of drought, but inefficient use of water and land degradation from intensive agricultural activities also play an important role.

In this regard, Mizutori called on the world's governments to reform the way water is extracted, stored, used and land is managed.

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