Drought
Droughts are a climatic phenomenon that is associated with the absence of rainfall and sufficient moisture in the atmosphere and soil. Droughts can last from weeks to months or even years. Prolonged droughts can have a significant impact on the ecosystems and agriculture of the affected regions, as well as harm the local economy.
Droughts are a recurring feature of climate in most parts of the world. Recently, however, these adverse natural phenomena have become more extreme and unpredictable due to climate change.
There are three main ways in which global warming affects droughts:
- Rising temperatures increase water evaporation. As high air temperatures suck liquid water from the soil and leaves of plants, turning it into atmospheric water vapor through a process called transpiration, soil drying increases.
- Changed patterns of atmospheric circulation affect the characteristics of storms and precipitation – for example, the place where they occur and their direction.
- Reducing the volume of snow cover and earlier and faster melting of snow due to rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are a threat to water supply in many regions.
Observations show that droughts caused by man-made climate change have affected areas in the Mediterranean, the Western Amazon, South Africa, Russia, India, Australia and Southern Europe. Many of these places have traditionally suffered from water shortages.
Like other extreme weather events, the effects of severe droughts are serious on the environment, the economy and human health. Unlike other weather disasters, droughts are smoldering disasters whose effects accumulate gradually and become visible over time:
- In agriculture, water scarcity and rising temperatures lead to crop losses and potential bankruptcy for farmers. Dried pastures are having a negative impact on livestock farming, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise large herds.
- Drought can cause mass extinctions of fish and other species in drying water bodies. They can contribute to outbreaks of pests that destroy forests. All this reduces the viability of the key ecosystem conditions on which humans depend.
- Drought is likely to lead to a decline in tourism and other outdoor activities, and physical infrastructure may be damaged by changes in soil moisture.
- The risk of destructive forest fires increases significantly.
- Prolonged droughts are a prerequisite for mass migration and humanitarian crises.
In recent years, global drought damage has been estimated at an average of $ 9 billion.
Throughout history, people have generally viewed droughts as "disasters" because of their impact on food and water. They have often tried to explain drought as a natural disaster caused by humans or supernatural forces. The biblical story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, the migration of hunter-gatherers from Chile in 9,500 BC, or the emigration about 135,000 years ago of the ancestors of modern man from Africa to the rest of the world are related to droughts . In many parts of the world, there are rituals to prevent drought and/or pray for rain, from ritual prayers and dances to sacrifices and even human sacrifices. Today, these ancient practices are largely preserved in local folklore and have been replaced by more rational water management.
Expectations for the coming years are that droughts will become more severe and longer. This is because global warming continues as a result of persistent greenhouse gas emissions. That is why taking measures to prevent further adverse climate change is of the utmost importance. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C by the end of the century would help avoid doubling global water scarcity. That would protect 318 million people from chronic water shortages.
Still, rising temperatures and droughts are a fact. This requires people to adapt to changing conditions and implement strategies and activities to address the growing water problem, such as:
- draining less water from large river sources;
- switching to the cultivation of crops that need less water;
- supporting water reuse policies and techniques;
- developing contingency plans for drought emergencies in the affected regions.
