Droughts with no agro-climatological extremes

While droughts are primarily linked to climatic conditions, socio-economic factors, such as social vulnerability to drought, significantly influence the impact of drought events. In many vulnerable regions, droughts can occur even when there are minor or no significant deviations from typical agro-climatological conditions. This is often due to socio-economic factors like conflicts, migrations, and economic downturns. However, there has been limited exploration of these "Droughts with No Agro-Climatological Extremes (DNACE)" in terms of their spatio-temporal distribution and analysis. In this study, we aimed to fill this knowledge gap by identifying when, where, and how DNACE events occurred globally. We achieved this by integrating a sub-national geocoded disaster database (GDIS) and a combined drought indicator (CDI). Between 2001 and 2020, we identified 91 DNACE events globally, with the highest concentration in South, Central, and Southeastern Asia (35), followed by South and Eastern Africa (28), and South, Central, and Caribbean America (25). Compared to developed nations, developing countries accounted for 97% of these occurrences, impacting around 36 million people. Socio-economic factors played a significant role in these DNACE events. Political instability and internal conflicts were responsible for 27% of the events in Africa and Eastern Asia. Wars, refugees, and forced migrations contributed to 36% of the cases in South and Eastern Africa, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. Migration stemming from economic crises represented 32% of events, affecting areas such as Central and Caribbean America, South Asia, and Africa. Additionally, human interventions played a role in 5% of the cases in Eastern Asia. This study underscores that droughts are not solely natural phenomena and emphasizes the critical need to consider socio-economic aspects when formulating drought mitigation and adaptation strategies.