The great drought of the nineteenth century could be repeated to cause hunger

Extreme climate change which killed more than 50 million people in the XIX century, can be repeated. We are talking about a severe drought, accompanied by famine.

More than a century ago, the world experienced a climate change that provoked one of the most severe droughts in the last 800 years. The so-called Great drought caused crop damage in large areas of Asia, Brazil and Africa in 1875, provoking a famine that led to 50 million deaths. Scientists warn that if this drought persists in our days, the consequences would be much more catastrophic. And given global warming, as shown by a new study, extreme drought caused some of the next El Nino or other natural disasters, will lead to a series of shocks across the planet and the destruction of the global system of food supply.

Caused by the great drought famine has been observed in the period from 1875 to 1878. It is believed that he was one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the history of mankind. Researchers from the University of Washington with the reconstruction of natural phenomena and the available archival records were able to establish the condition that preceded this disaster. They found that the direct perpetrators had several events, including during the rainy season in India in 1875, ended the drought and previous droughts in East Asia in the spring of 1867, in most parts of Africa, Brazil, Southeast Asia and Australia. In addition, the British colonists exported most of the grain from India, which made the problem even more acute.

According to scientists, the hydrological impact on the earth, which is enhanced by global warming, could become the biggest threat to food security. Recall that the climatic phenomenon of El niño is called the temperature variations of the surface water layer in the Equatorial Pacific ocean, has a significant impact on the climate. (READ MORE)