The Low Carbon Partnership
Solar Power
Drought
Just as climate change will cause some parts of the world to get wetter, other areas will get less rainfall. Scientists predict that areas such as southern Europe and the dry tropical areas will become up to 30% drier.
Drought occurs when there is too little rain and a severe shortage of water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs, to sustain crops, animals and people. Global warming will result in longer-lasting droughts in many parts of the world. The areas most likely to be affected are away from the coast and mountains. Here, intense solar radiation, especially during summer, will increase the evaporation of water but decrease the rainfall so that rivers, lakes, soil and plants become extremely dry.
Other regions that will be increasingly affected by drought are those that rely on the slow melting of snow and ice to fill up water stores for use during dry summers. As global warming causes more rain to fall rather than snow, for instance on mountains, the ice will melt more quickly and no longer provide water during summers. In fact, in many places, glaciers are getting smaller each year and might disappear altogether.
For people and animals living in drought-prone areas, life is expected to get harder as climate change will have an impact on the amount of water available to drink and food that can be grown. Even here, we are likely to experience longer periods of drought and water shortage during the summer in much of England and Wales. With so many people needing water, our reservoirs and water stores will be under pressure and we will all have to adapt to the situation by conserving water where we can.
