Climate Change and Drought

Executive Summary

This report examines drought within the broader framework of disrupted ecological cycles, particularly in connection with climate change. Ecological cycles, powered by solar energy, regulate the circulation of vital elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and water among the lithosphere, atmosphere, and oceans. Although the total volume of water on Earth has remained constant for billions of years, human activities have profoundly altered its distribution and functioning. The destruction of wetlands, diversion of rivers, overextraction of groundwater, construction of large dams, and fossil fuel–driven global warming have significantly disrupted the hydrological cycle. As a result, drought is no longer merely a periodic natural phenomenon but has evolved into a human-amplified ecological crisis.

The report argues that drought cannot be addressed independently of climate change and has increasingly become a "new normal" for Turkey. Effective response requires a multidisciplinary, multi-actor, and long-term policy framework. Key priorities include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, adopting ecologically sustainable water management practices, protecting local water resources, and restructuring agricultural production toward drought-resilient systems. Furthermore, as drought threatens water and food security, it must also be treated as a matter of social justice, with protective measures for vulnerable populations. Short-term and fragmented policies risk deepening the crisis; therefore, a science-based, participatory, and binding system of water and food governance is essential for sustainable and equitable management.