Droughts
Drought is defined by a period of dry weather caused by low rainfall and high temperatures. Drought can cause crops fail due to lack of moisture in soil, leading to food shortages and famine in severe cases.
“Warmer temperatures from burning coal, oil, and “natural” gas increase evaporation which dries out soils and vegetation, leading to crop failures, drinking water shortages, and increased risk of wildfires. Climate change is also altering the timing of water availability. Drought is a serious environmental threat across the U.S. and around the world that the Climate Crisis worsens, making them more frequent, longer, and more severe.” - Yale Climate Connections
Crop Failures
“The Drought in Numbers 2022 report concludes: “Sustainable and efficient agricultural management techniques are needed to grow more food on less land and with less water, and humans must change their relationships with food, fodder and fibre – moving toward plant-based diets and stemming the consumption of animals.” The report authors say concerted policy, partnerships and funding at all levels is urgently needed going forward to provide integrated drought action plans.” - World Economic Forum
Water Shortages
“Droughts and wildfires are destabilizing communities and triggering civil unrest and migration in many areas. Destruction of vegetation and tree cover exacerbates soil erosion and reduces groundwater recharge, increasing water scarcity and food insecurity.” - United Nations
Some regions will have too much water and others will have too little, according to a comprehensive new study on climate change by the World Bank Group. This look at the effects of a warming world on the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia is awash with suggestions to prepare for a changing climate. Turn Down the Heat. World Bank
Six years ago, the UN set the goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Back then it seemed like an attainable target, but not anymore. It's now estimated that over 800 million people around the world do not have enough to eat. The island of Madagascar is facing a famine that the UN says is caused by climate change. DW News
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. In Somalia, about 800,000 people have left the countryside to seek help in camps, having lost their animals and crops. There, they joined hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced by previous droughts. With rising fears that it will become increasingly difficult to maintain livestock in the countryside, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is helping some of the internally displaced to turn to fishing off of Somalia's 3,000km (1,864-mile) coastline. Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb reports from the port city of Kismayo. Al Jazeera
Around much of the Northern Hemisphere, from Hungary to Hawaii, from the drying Rhine River to the now-recovering Rio Grande, or from Casablanca to California, summer droughts and high temperatures are having a serious impact on everything from agriculture to the freight industry. A summer of record-breaking heat is drying up rivers across Europe.
Around half the continent is facing an unprecedented drought. Shipping companies in Germany are preparing for the worst as the River Rhine drops to critical levels. Authorities say many vessels will be unable to navigate the key shipping route if the water drops much lower.
Scientists warn climate change is leading to even more frequent periods of extreme heat and drought. Nearly 660,000 hectares of European land have already been destroyed by fires this year, according to EU data. The scale of the destruction this year would be the worst since records began in 2006. If 2022 follows a similar trajectory as 2017, Europe is on course to see more than a million hectares of land destroyed. In 2017, it reached 988,087. DW News