Study: Extreme Drought Parched Half of Earth in 2023

Nearly half of the world’s land surface languished under at least one month of extreme drought in 2023. That's a region three times larger than in the 1980s, says a new study. Almost a third endured three months or more of severe rain shortages, six times as much as four decades ago.  

The reasons are complex. But climate change is a clear driver of extreme drought, said a recent Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change study. 

The more we let the planet warm, the worse things will become, Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown, told the BBC.

Extreme drought occurs after at least six months of scant rainfall or rapid evaporation rates that deplete plants and soil.  Many causes add to droughts. They include land use and overdevelopment. But climate change is shifting worldwide rainfall patterns. It's also leaving some parts of the world more drought-prone. Hardest hit are eastern Africa, the Middle East, and South America, the report showed.

Droughts destroy water supplies. They can also trigger food shortages, wildfires, disease outbreaks, power blackouts, and economic downturns. In South Sudan, for instance, roughly half of the country suffered through extreme drought for half of 2023.

Nyakuma, an elderly villager in one of the stricken regions, told the BBC things are getting worse. “When we go in the water, we get sick. And the food we eat isn’t nutritious enough.” Nyakuma said he endured two bouts of malaria during an extreme drought.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is director general of the World Health Organization. He offered a prepared statement about the Lancet report. He said it clearly shows that “climate change is not a distant threat." He stressed it's a risk to health right now. 

Reflect: If you could create a solution to help communities facing challenges from climate change, what would it be and why?

Photo of drought-stricken Amazon Basin from Reuters.