UN reports increase in frequency of droughts on Earth by almost 30%
After analysing changes in the frequency of droughts in the world, the UN specialists reported a significant increase in this indicator over the past 20 years. According to experts, the frequency of droughts has increased by about 29 percent – as reported by TASS with reference to the press service of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw noted that extreme weather conditions can be attributed to one of the main consequences of global warming: abnormally high temperatures in winter and summer, droughts and rainstorms that can last for weeks.
According to the expert, we can already observe a negative result in the form of a huge number of droughts. From 2000 to 2019, the number of droughts increased by almost a third. Major droughts were observed across 23 states, resulting in significant monetary losses.
Moreover, droughts last much longer than, e.g., twenty years ago, causing more severe consequences.
“They not only negatively affect human populations, but also destabilise the ecosystems on which the survival of all life forms, including humans, depends,” Mr. Thiaw said.
