“If you price water wrongly, you kill people.”
- Jeffrey Sachs, the Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York

 Adapting in the drylands belt

Rising temperatures and unpredictable rain patterns are causing severe water stress in many parts of the world. In drylands, parched earth is becoming desert. The situation is acute in the African Sahel, the Middle East and Central Asia. They are already suffering severe poverty and the combined stresses pose risks to peace and stability.

There is an urgent need for the people to adapt to climate change, but this is hampered by a lack of information and analysis of the complex problems.

What will the project achieve?

The project Drylands: Climate Change and Development seeks to fill this gap. Its objectives are to carry out research and compile data on the human face of climate change in the drylands belt, identify ways that populations can adapt, and support the implementation of solutions.

The initiative is steered by the Drylands Advisory Group on Climate Change and Development, formed in 2007 under the auspices of the Global Humanitarian Forum. Its strategic partners are the Office of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, UN Messenger of Peace, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York.