Dr. Samuel Jonson Sutanto

Drought is becoming an increasingly serious challenge for Europe. The major droughts of 2018, 2022, 2026 demonstrated that drought is not simply a temporary lack of rainfall. Its impacts can spread across water resources, agriculture, energy production, ecosystems, public health, and other sectors.

A new policy brief from the Drought in the Anthropocene Network (DitA) brings together recent research and lessons from these events. Its key message is clear: Europe needs to move beyond reactive crisis response towards proactive and integrated drought risk management.

Research from the 2022 European drought shows that preparedness makes a difference. Organizations with drought forecasting systems or drought management plans were able to implement response measures approximately one month earlier and generally considered their responses more effective than those without such systems.

The policy brief also highlights that drought is a systemic risk shaped not only by climate change but also by human activities, including water use, land management, and governance. Therefore, sustainable water management and reducing unsustainable water demand should be central to building long-term drought resilience.

Europe already has several policies related to water management, ecosystem protection, and climate adaptation. However, drought risk management remains fragmented. The policy brief calls for stronger coordination, better implementation of existing policies and consideration of a European Drought Directive to provide a coherent framework for Integrated Drought Risk Management.

The lessons from recent droughts are clear: preparedness, coordinated governance, and long-term planning are essential. The time to prepare for the next drought is not when it arrives, but now.

This blog post is based on the DitA Policy Brief, “Preparing for a Drought-Resilient Future: Key Research Insights for European Drought Policy.” Read the report here: link.