Among questions about global warming, NATO and vabbing (it is what you think it is), South Africans also wanted to know what the link was between climate change and droughts.
According to data from Google’s Year In Search lists, the question ‘What is the relationship between climate change and the regularity of droughts’ was the fourth most asked question this year.
This year, the spotlight was put on climate change and the environment as the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (commonly known as COP27) was held in November in Egypt this year.
According to UNDP Climate Change Adaptation, climate change does in fact have a direct link to droughts.
“Higher temperatures and a reduction in rainfall expected as a result of climate change will reduce already depleted water resources, contributing to an increasing number of droughts in the country (South Africa),” it said.
But we are probably going to feel the affects of it much later, right? Wrong.
While it is easy for one to dismiss droughts as something that only affects farmers, it affects the rest of the country, too.
Droughts have a ripple effect and agriculture and job creation. This has an impact on the economy and thus, we will feel it too - in our pockets and health.
Drought can also cause long-term public health complications such as shortages of drinking water and poor quality drinking water. It will affect a wide range of things such as food and nutrition, air quality as well as sanitation and hygiene.
IOL