Drought In MEDCs And LEDCs Europe And Africa

Drought In MEDC’s And LEDC’s Europe And Africa

Europe; 2003 • Estimates for the death toll from the French heatwave in 2003 were as high as 30, 000. • Harvests were down by between 30% and 50% on 2002. • France’s electricity grid was also affected, as demand for electricity soared as the population turned up air conditioning and fridges. • At the same time, nuclear power stations which generate around 75% of France’s electricity, were operating at a much reduced capacity because there was less water available for cooling.

Europe; 2003 • Portugal declared a state of emergency after the worst forest fires for 30 years. • Temperatures reached 43 degrees C in Lisbon in August 2003 to 15 degrees C hotter than the average for the month. • Over 1300 deaths occurred in the first half of August, and up to 35, 000 ha of forest, farmland, and scrub were burned.

Europe; 2003 • Some fires were, in fact, deliberately started by arsonists seeking insurance or compensation money. • Over 70 people were arrested. • The prolonged heatwave left some countries facing their worst harvests since the end of the Second World War. • Some countries that usually export food were forced to import it for the first time in decades. • Across the EU, wheat and production was down 10 million tonnes, about 10%.

Africa; 2003 • In 2003, parts of Southern Ethiopia were experiencing the longest drought anyone had known. • The world’s largest emergency food aid programme was in operation, but it proved inadequate. • Because of a sixth poor rainy season in three years, 20 million people needed help. • The situation was now worse than the 1984 famine, when only 10 million people needed food.

Africa’s “At Risk” Population Country Ethiopia Zimbabwe Malawi Sudan Zambia Eritrea Population 20 Million 3. 2 Million 2. 9 Million 2. 7 Million 1. 9 Million 1 Million Plus around 7. 3 million across Swaziland, Congo, Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville, Lesotho, and Mozambique.

Activity Using Essential AS Geography P 218 -219, answer the following questions… 1. What are the meteorological causes of drought? 2. What human factors contribute to water shortages in various areas? 3. How do the impacts on people and the environment differ in both MEDC’s and LEDC’s? 4. How could these impacts be reduced in both MEDC’s and LEDC’s?