Drought is widespread and worldwide — but a three-year dry spell in the Horn of Africa has incited one of the worst humanitarian crises in our world today.
There is perhaps no more obvious sign of our changing world than more prolonged and more devastating droughts. In this edition of A (CLIMATE) CHANGED PLANET — we look at the realities of droughts and the reasons why these events are likely to worsen as our planet warms.
Worldwide drought impacting millions
From a drought in Brazil that has pushed the Amazon River to its lowest level in over 120 years to the European droughts of last year that claimed more than 60,000 lives, droughts can be felt nearly everywhere in the world — and their severity is only expected to get worse.
- Droughts have risen by 29% since 2000, and are occurring on every continent but Antarctica and Australia
- Nearly 160 million children are exposed to drought
- Only accounting for 15% of natural disasters, droughts claimed 650,000 lives in 50 years
- Water scarcity, facilitated by droughts, impacts 40% of the planet’s population
- Droughts are some of the costliest natural-disasters — in 50 years they could cost the global economy $5.6 trillion
Climate and conflict create humanitarian emergency in world’s most impoverished regions
As countries in the Horn of Africa (namely Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya) entered 2023, they passed a grim milestone: a fifth failed rainy season — and another year of suffering because of the longest and most severe drought in recent history.
- 43 million people remain in need of humanitarian aid
- 32 million people face acute food insecurity
- 20 million children face severe hunger, thirst and disease
- 3.3 million people are refugees or have been internally displaced
- 40% increase in food basket costs over one year ago
- 13 million livestock have died
- Women and girls face more risk to their health and wellbeing amidst sexual violence and limited healthcare
While fresh rains brought some relief in 2023 (following the 2022 rainy season which was the lowest-recorded in 40 years), it too brought risk of other threats: floods and waterborne diseases. Families are forced to take desperate measures to find water, food, pasture and treatment for the malnourished. A study released by the World Weather Attribution illustrated this drought was made 100 times more likely — and deadly — because of climate change.
As the world warms, what does the future hold?
Human-induced climate change is creating more prolonged and devastating droughts. Should we not implement measures to combat climate change, by 2050:
- Over 75% of the world’s population (129 countries) will be impacted by drought
- Over 50% will live in water-scare areas for at least a month
- 80 million will face hunger
- 216 million may be forced to migrate
Droughts are devastating to people’s livelihoods and create ripple affects felt across the world. There is no time to wait for raindrops, we have to act now and support disaster-relief organizations today — or else risk the humanity of our world.
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