Post by bonnasuttadhar225588 on Feb 15, 2024 6:25:50 GMT -5
The summer of 2022 saw Europe's worst drought in 500 years. A combination of record temperatures and low rainfall caused rivers to dry up, wildfires to break out and crop failures to exacerbate already high food prices, according to a rapid-attribution study referenced by Carbon Brief. . However, severe weather events do not appear to be random events, as research revealed that extreme droughts resulting from human-induced climate change could be 20 times more likely. In fact, these weather conditions are already being experienced by large regions around the world. Widespread extreme droughts The study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global climate collaboration initiative, found that droughts of greater intensity can be expected in the Northern Hemisphere once every 20 years under the current climate. A situation that would only be expected once every 400 years. The study particularly looked at widespread summer droughts in central and western Europe, North America, China and other regions, and found that climate change is causing "compounding and cascading risks.
For example, extreme droughts caused crop failures at a time when “world markets were already struggling with the impacts of the Ukraine war.” From early May to mid-September, consecutive heat waves swept across Europe, giving the summer the title of “the hottest on record” in 500 years. So two-thirds of Europe found themselves under drought warnings. This drought had serious impacts on agriculture. For example, the Po River basin in northern Italy experienced its worst “water crisis” in about 70 years, disappearing completely in Iceland Email List some areas and causing a 30% drop in the rice harvest. And, as similar stories unfolded across Europe, fears grew of a global food security crisis. "Global markets were already struggling with the impacts of the Ukraine war, both in food prices and through fertilizers ." Maarten van Aalst , professor at the humanitarian aid agency Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC) Are extreme droughts and global crises more likely? Maarten van Aalst also added during a press conference that the drought also exacerbated the energy crisis, by reducing the supply of hydroelectric power, limiting the effectiveness of water cooling for nuclear plants and making it difficult to use rivers to transport coal.
On the other hand, an article published by The Guardian states that the western United States experienced its most extreme drought conditions in 1,200 years - in what it called a megadrought - and noted that Lake Mead and Lake Powell "are in record low levels and are steadily withering. “Forest fires now rage year-round as dry forests and grasslands are more prepared than ever to burn.” The Guardian . Likewise, China has also seen climate impacts, having recently suffered the most severe heat wave in six decades. Sections of the Yangtze, China's longest river, reached their lowest level since 1865 amid extreme temperatures and a "severe lack of rain." The above stopped maritime transport and forced several companies to suspend their operations, even demonstrating that not even this world power is prepared to face the environmental crisis. Agricultural drought Continuing with the study, there are many ways to define drought. For example, hydrological drought focuses on the amount of rainfall a region receives, while pluvial droughts focus on surface and groundwater flows. The analysis focuses on “agricultural and ecological drought,” which measures soil moisture content in the “surface” and “root zone.” Dr. Dominik Schumacher , a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and co-author of the study.