When the skies ran dry

Bonn, Germany – Over the past hundred years, the increase in human populations has been three times greater than during the entire previous history of mankind. More natural resources have been extracted from the earth and more land converted for cities, agriculture and industry than ever before. On this warming planet, droughts seem to have changed their nature as well, increasing in spatial extent, duration, frequency and severity.

The new film "When skies ran dry," produced by Dr. Patrick Augenstein, attempts to answer the following questions: How can we more actively prepare for drought on a planet more radically altered by humans than ever before? What’s causing drought in the anthropocene and how we can confront the risks and challenges it brings? The filmmakers visit some of the world’s regions affected and altered by drought, speaking to farmers, water managers, scientists and policy makers.

The project is a joint effort of UNCCD, United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, University of Bonn, Embassy of the Earth foundation and Greening Africa project. 

See more:

• Full 40-minute version of the film
• Two-minute version of the film
• Eleven-minute version of the film
• UNCCD Drought Initiative