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Virtually all types of natural hazard occur in drylands, but climate hazards assume a greater relative importance in these highly dynamic environments. Here, we present a review of climate hazards research with a specifically drylands focus, distinguishing between hazards that are a direct manifestation of atmospheric processes and those that are indirectly driven by atmospheric conditions. About a billion poor rural inhabitants of drylands whose livelihoods are directly dependent on the physical environment face particularly high levels of risk from climate hazards, some of which are widely predicted to become more frequent, more widespread and/or more intense with climate change in many parts of the world during the twenty-first century. Recognising the particular characteristics of these hazards is an essential precursor to the development of dryland-centred policy options that can help mitigation and preparedness strategies and hence improve the well-being of dryland populations. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.