Severe drought has devastated huge parts of the planet over the past two years as record-high temperatures, a lack of rain, and growing competition for land and water have left people parched from Indonesia to Mexico.
A new report by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification examined the world’s hot spots that have felt the severest effects of climate-driven drought. It found that beyond water shortages and crop failures, drought has led to displacement, malnutrition and power rationing.
“Global droughts since 2023 have had widespread impacts that exposed and exacerbated existing social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities,” the report says. “Without major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, rising temperatures will lead to more frequent and severe droughts by increasing heat, evaporation, and shifting precipitation patterns.”
The report shows that large parts of Africa, the Mediterranean basin and the Amazon are particularly prone to drought as temperatures rise and precipitation falls. In the Mediterranean, drought has led to drinking water shortages and crop failures. In the Amazon it has resulted in wildfires and diminished carbon sinks. Southern Africa has experienced widespread hunger, power rationing and the loss of life.
