The Effects of Drought
Droughts = natural disasters Main cause = lack of precipitation Difficult to measure long-term effects ◦ malnutrition / starvation ◦ mass migration /overcrowding of cities ◦ political conflict / wars
Soil turns into dust and blows away No topsoil = no crops No grasses for cattle, sheep, etc. to eat Water sources dry up Malnutrition and starvation = death
Threat of starvation may motivate people to migrate Large numbers move from rural areas to cities They do not return to their original homes Example: Brazil
Citizens begin to pressure their governments for relief If government doesn’t help = political conflicts and/or wars Poverty has led to major conflicts in nearly one-half of the world’s low-income countries since (World Bank)
Cost of droughts in U.S. = over $6 billion More than twice the cost of floods
“Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.” ~John Updike