Aridification threatens over 2.3 billion people by reshaping landscapes and increasing socio-economic vulnerabilities, demanding immediate policy actions and global cooperation to enhance resilience and develop transformative solutions.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Berdugo, M. et al. Science 367, 787–790 (2020).
IPCC. Summary for Policymakers. In Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (eds Masson-Delmotte, V. et al.) (in the press).
Grünig, M., Seidl, R. & Senf, C. Glob. Change Biol. 29, 1648–1659 (2023).
Vicente-Serrano, S. M. et al. The Global Threat of Drying Lands: Regional and Global Aridity Trends and Future Projections (UNCCD, 2024).
Hermans, K. et al. Nat. Sustain. 6, 1503–1505 (2023).
Lian, X. et al. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 2, 232–250 (2021).
Jellason, N. P., Salite, D., Conway, J. S. & Ogbaga, C. C. Environ. Dev. 43, 100733 (2022).
Malpede, M. & Percoco, M. Eur. Rev. Agric. Econ. 50, 978–1012 (2023).
Global Assessment of Sand and Dust Storms (UNEP, WMO, UNCCD, 2016).
Kates, R. W., Travis, W. R. & Wilbanks, T. J. PNAS 109, 7156–7161 (2012).
Spinoni, J. et al. Glob. Planet. Change 205, 103597 (2021).
Lutz, W., Muttarak, R. & Striessnig, E. Science 346, 1061–1062 (2014).
Pauw, W. P. Clim. Policy 15, 583–603 (2015).
Timilsina, G. R. Sustainability 13, 6515 (2021).
Street, R. B. & Jude, S. Clim. Policy 19, 1340–1350 (2019).
Acknowledgements
All authors are members of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface Committee or served as consultants during the 2022–2024 biennium. The authors are tremendously grateful to the UNCCD for the support that made this report and work possible, and especially to B. Orr and N. Barger for their leadership during the previous biennium.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature Water thanks Nugun Jellason for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pricope, N.G., Vicente-Serrano, S.M., Toreti, A. et al. Increasing aridification calls for urgent global adaptive solutions and policy action. Nat Water 3, 512–515 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00432-9
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00432-9
This article is cited by
-
Harmony with water
Nature Water (2025)
