Global Drought?

originally posted by: ElGoobero
how expensive will food be?

That's unpredictable.

will we see genuine real shortages?

I don't think the richest countries will have a big problem, because if there's little food they will buy it all and leave none for the rest, like they do with everything else.

will there be riots?

Again, on the richer countries, I doubt it, as their biggest problem with be the prices, not the lack of food.

refugees?

Most likely, Europe has been having them for several years, if you haven't noticed.

not going to be a fun fall/winter.

Specially if fertilisers are kept at three or four times their usual price and in short supply because of the war in Ukraine (both because of the lack of exports from Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia and Belarus and they unwillingness to sell to "unfriendly countries".

am I being an alarmist or is this a real global event?

It could be both.

A few days ago I saw an article about the lower expectations for tomato production in the US because of lack of water, and that's something that has been getting worse in the last few years, so although not new, it looks like this year was the one that the media caught hold of it and "made" it news.

PS: In Portugal more than half of the country is in extreme drought, while the rest is in severe drought conditions. This year, it rained in March and April, and almost nothing in all the other months.

a reply to: network dude

If the climate is different, what do you call that?

originally posted by: ArMaP
a reply to: network dude

If the climate is different, what do you call that?

It's burnout. People are sick of the climate change mantra and being blamed for what is a natural cycle of Earth.

Water Supply Depletion

Fracking consumes a massive amount of water.
Water used for fracking is permanently removed from
our water cycle.
“Disposing of the water through
injection systems, into deep rock formations,
essentially removes that water from the active hydrologic cycle."

Dr. Paul F. Hudak
University of North Texas

a reply to: ToneDeaf

I'm sure that doesn't help, but isn't that practice limited to small (on a global scale) regions?

"five barrels of water per barrel of produced shale oil"

These two maps have some similarities
Global shale basins map
Global Drought map

BOSTON 7 DAY FORECAST
MON
Rain/Thunder
Rain/Thunder
75°
67°
85%
A steady rain early. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing in the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
TUE
T-Storms
Thunderstorms
83°
68°
73%
Thunderstorms likely. High 83F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

HOT TIP :

As much as Americans like to think so, America is not the whole world. There are many other nationalities on this website that come here daily that have to listen to poor little American me stories.

It’s been raining cats and dogs in the Southern Hemisphere of late, that’s the other half of the world.

I’d never thought I’d admit to this, but I am beginning to believe in severe weather manipulation, tactics to put financial strain on areas around the globe.

But don’t worry, THEY’LL save you.

originally posted by: ToneDeaf
Global shale basins map

What does that map show, places where fracking is occurring or shale gas reserves? They are not the same.

Global Drought map

Where did you get that map? It's obviously wrong or outdated, as the situation in the Iberian Peninsula is severe drought.

I found this map here.

originally posted by: Scubalicious
It’s been raining cats and dogs in the Southern Hemisphere of late, that’s the other half of the world.

Not in the whole Southern Hemisphere, in Argentina they are having problems with fires.

Fires around major river torch wetlands, human health in Argentina

a reply to: ArMaP

As that site has data since 1955, I decided to make a video showing the drought conditions on the month of June from 1955 to 2022.

England / Europe
www.cnbc.com...

Britain officially declared a drought in parts of England on Friday as households faced new water usage restrictions during a period of prolonged hot and dry weather that has already severely tested the
nation’s infrastructure.

Parts of southern, central and eastern England are now in drought status, meaning that water companies will step up efforts to manage the impact of dry weather on farmers and the environment, the Environment Agency said in a statement.

Much of Europe has faced weeks of baking temperatures that have triggered large wildfires, drained water levels of the Rhine River in Germany and seen the source of Britain’s River Thames dry up further downstream than in previous years.

www.cnbc.com...

European Union harvest forecasts are now down 16% for grain maize, 15% for soybeans and 12% for sunflowers compared with its average for the previous five years.

Agricultural economists say that has implications not only for food production but also for the dairy and livestock farmers who rely on such items to rear their animals.

www.reuters.com...

Extreme heat in China played havoc on Wednesday despite lower temperatures in some regions, with authorities across the Yangtze river basin scrambling to limit the damage from climate change on power, crops and livestock.

North America, Europe, China. and Russia-Ukraine war.
not looking good for groceries for a while.

China drought affecting rice production

According to the China Meteorological Agency, although the heat wave has subsided somewhat, the drought has not stopped and may well last into the fall.

Along with other provinces in the middle and lowlands of the Yangtze River basin such as Hunan and Anhui, Jiangxi's grain production is most at risk. But other provinces such as Sichuan, Hubei, Henan and Guizhou have also been affected.

According to Li Ge, a farmer in Yugan County in northern Jiangxi, the drought will undoubtedly affect rice production, but the full extent will not be known until late September.

sad.
glad I don't live in China.

english.newstracklive.com...

a reply to: ketsuko

Not sure (it is a work of fiction), but there is a dystopian novel about a worldwide drought and the hero that rises: Sherwood Nation.

The setting is Portland and they are rationing water to the population (greedy opportunists abound). It is a good read and both funny and sad that it kind of mimics what is happening in certain parts of the world.



PS - The author’s other novel, Couch, is also a hoot!!