Supply Chains

Droughts are creating new supply chain problems. This is what you need to know

Economic damage from droughts jumped by 63% in 2021 compared with the 20-year average, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Economic damage from droughts jumped by 63% in 2021 compared with the 20-year average, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Image: REUTERS/Christian Kraemer

Ewan Thomson
Senior Writer, Forum Agenda
Share:
Our Impact
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Supply Chains is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

Supply Chains

Listen to the article

Droughts are becoming more frequent and lasting longer, which has dire consequences for transport on key rivers like the Rhine in Germany.
Droughts are becoming more frequent and lasting longer, which has dire consequences for transport on key rivers like the Rhine in Germany. Image: ESA.
Discover

How is the World Economic Forum fighting the climate crisis?

A birds eye view of low water levels on the Mississippi, with land surrounding the river.
October 2022: A lack of rainfall caused water levels on the Mississippi to reach lows not seen for a decade, significantly slowing barge traffic. Image: NASA.

Drought has contributed to the Yangtze river shrinking visibly year on year.
Drought has contributed to the Yangtze river shrinking visibly year on year. Image: ESA.

Have you read?
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Supply ChainsWaterClimate Change
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

5 ways stronger UK supply chains can help reduce rising food costs

Amir M. Sharif, Kamran Mahroof and Liz Breen

May 30, 2023

About Us

Events

Media

Partners & Members

  • Join Us

Language Editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

© 2023 World Economic Forum