Interviewtimes 
When the United Nations last June called the drought the next pandemic to rival Covid-19, it was a foreshadowing of a dystopian future straight out of sci-fi movies. Only the frightening reality seems to have arrived. Major river systems across Europe and the US have dried up as a climate-related drought rouses industrialized nations from their sleep. The Colorado River in the southwestern United States, a lifeline for 40 million people across seven states and Mexico, has shrunk, prompting the government to push through mandatory water use cuts and contingency plans. The river system supports a $15 billion agricultural industry. Over 40% of the US is experiencing a prolonged drought
Europe is grappling with one unprecedented in its recent memory. In France, much of the 600-mile stretch of the Loire has simply evaporated, leaving the world’s most prized vineyards in the doldrums. The Danube, which crosses 10 European countries and is an important shipping channel, is in great distress. Almost a third of Italy’s food is produced along the Po River, which has dried up so much that a World War II-era bomb was uncovered in its bed. Similar stories abound in Africa and Asia, prompting fears the planet is heading for a crisis no one can understand.
The climate crisis has also hit us. Before the start of the monsoon season, north-east India reported a deluge of unimaginable proportions, leaving nearly a million people displaced. Similar disasters have struck Bihar, Odisha and the north Indian hill states. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change says the country’s monsoon rainfall fell by 6% from 1951 to 2015. The area affected by the drought increased by 1.3% per decade with increasing frequency.
A 2019 study by two IITs found that at least 16 out of 24 river basins are at high risk of drought due to soil moisture, which could seriously affect India’s food security. According to the United Nations, current emission rates will increase drought frequency and severely hurt profits in developed countries and worsen food security in developing and poor countries, which has already been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war. The danger is clear and present.
