All U.S. states except for Alaska are experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions. It's a sobering environmental reality that experts call "unprecedented" — and dangerous.
What's happening?
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 49 states are experiencing moderate drought conditions or worse. The U.S. Drought Monitor classifies droughts into five categories on a scale from Abnormally Dry (D0) to Exceptional Drought (D4). Moderate Drought is classified as D1.
Earlier this month, Earth.org reported that 48 states were experiencing Moderate Drought to Exceptional Drought conditions. During this time, the U.S. Drought Monitor cautioned it was "the greatest number of states in drought in U.S. Drought Monitor history." The organization has reported drought conditions since 2000.
Though 49 states are experiencing drought conditions, the land area impacted by drought conditions has lessened slightly since mid-November. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that about 41% of the land area in the lower 48 states is in drought. That's down about 9% since mid-November.
Why are these historic drought conditions important?
Droughts are natural disasters — and, like many natural disasters, they are made more severe by rising global temperatures and environmental pollution. While droughts would happen in a greener world, rising temperatures make droughts more frequent and longer. Water misuse, poor water management, and wildfires also worsen drought conditions.
Experts expect droughts to impact three in four people globally by 2050. Water scarcity caused by droughts threatens or kills crops, which causes economic instability in the agriculture and food sectors.
Drought is often to blame for increasing food prices and food scarcity. In the environment, droughts kill native plant life and exacerbate wildfires. Droughts also lead to severe human health impacts, including an increased risk of disease and death.
Current drought conditions indicate that we are in unprecedented territory — and that it's time to do something to mitigate drought impacts and improve natural disaster readiness.
What's being done about record-high drought conditions?
Some major U.S. cities have water restrictions to cope with current drought conditions. Though they vary from region to region, water restrictions for drought often encourage locals to avoid outdoor water use, such as watering lawns and washing cars at home, or limit their outdoor water usage to a certain time of day. Locals are also often encouraged to fix household leaks or limit shower time.
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For long-term drought solutions, experts advocate for proactive policies and infrastructure investments to mitigate drought risk. Experts also say better water management, including stormwater management, would assist in helping drought conditions.
Other infrastructure solutions include investing in water recycling, improving and expanding water storage, and improving water usage at power plants.
You can also make small upgrades to your home to help save water — drought conditions or not. Consider switching from typical lawn grass to clover, planting native species to rewild your yard, using water-efficient appliances, and storing rainwater in rain barrels.
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