Being a child in this climate is daunting. Are we doing enough to help?

National Observer

“There is no rain in our community. We walk for more than eight hours every day to get water,” Drought forced Dawele*, 14, from Ethiopia, to drop out of school.she explains. “Because of this, I couldn’t attend class and was forced to drop out. I love mathematics and want to be a teacher, but now I don’t know what my future will be.” Dawele is just one of 15 million people in the Horn of Africa who can no longer go to school because of severe drought.  STORY HERE.

The number of people suffering extreme droughts will double. Study.

Phys Org

Drought leaves dead and dying livestock in northern Kenya.
Photo by Oxfam Intl.

By the late 21st century, global land area and population facing extreme droughts could more than double—increasing from 3% during 1976-2005 to 7%-8%. Story here.

Climate change: Frequency of extreme droughts across Europe predicted to rise

Nature Research

Photo "drought" by bartoszjanusz is licensed under CC0 1.0

The frequency of record-breaking two-year droughts, such as the 2018–2019 Central European drought, is expected to rise by the end of the century if projected greenhouse gas emissions aren't reduced, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Climate change: Likelihood of UK temperatures exceeding 40°C increasing

Nature Communications

A public domain photo.

Temperatures exceeding 40°C may be reached somewhere in the UK every 3.5 to 15 years by 2100 under continued greenhouse gas emissions, suggests a modelling study in Nature Communications. The paper reports that anthropogenic emissions are increasing the likelihood of extremely warm days in the UK (particularly in the southeast), with temperatures becoming more likely to exceed 30, 35 and 40°C by the end of the century in different parts of the country.

But it's a dry heat: Climate change and the aridification of North America

PHYS ORG

Photo by Red Charlie

Discussions of drought often centre on the lack of precipitation. But among climate scientists, the focus is shifting to include the growing role that warming temperatures are playing as potent drivers of greater aridity and drought intensification. Story here.

Climate Change Has Made Droughts More Frequent Since 1900

The Smithsonian

Photo by Tomas Castelazo

Tree ring data from various parts of the world show that greenhouse gas increases have impacted soil moisture for over 100 years. Story here.

Livestock Producers Temporarily Allowed to Cut Hay & Graze Animals on Crown Land

News release - Gov't. of Manitoba

Cattle graze on parched pasture. A PinP photo.

Livestock producers will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land not normally designated for agricultural use due to dry conditions across parts of the province, Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced today. More here.

California’s Dwindling Snowpack: Another Year of Drought, Floods, Wildfires and Mudslides?

ECOWATCH

The Sierra Nevada range near Reno.

Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA

California is likely facing another year of water woes. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies up to a third of California's water, is exceptionally meager this year. Experts found around half as much snow on the mountains as they typically would in early April, when the snowpack is historically most voluminous. Story here.

Twenty-five percent of the earth could see a permanent drought by 2050

Nation of Change

If Earth’s temperature goes up by 2 degrees Celsius by 2050, more than one-quarter of the world would live in a state of drought. Story here.




Parched ground in the southern US. 2011. Photo by Aljazeera English.

As 'Epic Winds' Drive California Fires, Climate Change Fuels the Risk

Inside Climate News

Santa Ana winds are whipping up wildfires in Southern California after a devastating season in wine country. Rising temps can make the West dangerously combustible. Story here.


USDA photo

The unprecedented drought that's crippling Montana and North Dakota

theguardian

It came without warning, and without equivalent. Now a flash drought is fuelling fires and hurting the lives of those who work the land. Story here.

A decades-long drought on the Canadian Prairies? It's possible, says author!

The Western Producer

A 50-year-long drought may not be as crazy as some people think. According to a new book, it actually happened on the Prairies and not that long ago. Story here.

UN urges 'reboot' of drought responses to focus more on preparedness

UN News Centre

Investing in preparedness and building the resilience of farmers is fundamental to cope with extreme drought, because responding to such situations when they hit might be too late, the head of the United Nations agricultural agency said today. Story here.

The Unbearable Cost of Drought in Africa

UN News Centre

A poor rural community in Tanzania after the failure of the rains, facing drought and food insecurity. Photo - Wikimedia Commons.
Nearly 50 per cent of all emergency food assistance to Africa is due to natural disasters, with advancing droughts significantly threatening both livelihoods and economic growth. Story here.

Around 22 million children could soon starve without urgent aid, UNICEF warns (+ video)

UN News Centre

Millions of children are on the brink of starvation in the worst humanitarian crisis in decades, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned. Story here.

Water scarcity needs “urgent and massive response” in North Africa and Near East

Food and Agriculture Organization                

Sustainable water use for agriculture requires transforming food systems and diets. 

Story here.

Please also read: New Evidence Confirms Risk That Mideast May Become Uninhabitable

and watch my video, "Planet in Peril," here.

A young man poses before a parched crop in Ethiopia. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Rising Temperatures Load the Dice for Megadrought Risk

State of the Planet.

As the American Southwest grows hotter, the risk of severe, long-lasting megadroughts rises, passing 90 percent likelihood by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current pace, a new study says. If we aggressively reduce emissions, however, we can cut that risk substantially, the authors write. Story here.

With Planting Season Weeks Away, Millions in Drought-Hit Southern Africa Need Support – UN

UN News Centre

Some 23 million people in southern Africa are in need of urgent support to be able to produce enough food to feed themselves…Story here.

Worst Drought in Decades Plagues Western New York

The Buffalo News

Tractors plow through clouds of dust. Crops fail to germinate. Dairy cows aren’t producing milk. They can’t even eat and sleep in the heat. Story here.

The Story of Drought

IATP

Drought has always been a part of the human experience. But the story of drought is more than dry fields. It is the story of famine, migration and conflict. It also is the story of creativity, invention and reorganization. Drought and the issues surrounding it drive much of our technological, political, economic and ecological decision-making. More here.