Drought Expected To Hurt Mexico For Years
From the front lines of climate change, welcome to planet Earth 2.0 – the new normal. Here’s an article from Reuter’s on Mexico’s unforgiving drought and what it will mean for poor farmer’s and the fragile economy of that country. An excerpt:
A severe drought in Mexico that has cost farmers more than a billion dollars in crop losses alone and set back the national cattle herd for years, is just a foretaste of the drier future facing Latin America’s second largest economy.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, an outspoken advocate for mitigating and adapting to climate change, has ordered his government to start getting ready for tougher times.
Experts believe Mexico will have to spend billions of dollars in the next two decades to maintain the water supply for irrigation and drinking water.
The human cost has also been harsh.
The government said it provided food rations to more than two million people, though agricultural group AMSDA said 8 million people had been affected by the lack of water.
More than 400,000 residents in the six driest states were without water at the end of December, Conagua said, with reservoirs in two states half-empty and another two less than a quarter full.
The indigenous Tarahumara people of northern Mexico suffered particularly hard, with tens of thousands of poor families hit. The government says it delivered millions of liters of milk and tonnes of food, but the situation is acute.
World Environment News – Stubborn Drought Expected To Tax Mexico For Years
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It’s really a shame that more people aren’t talking about this. I hope more people rise to the occasion and help them get proper nutrition and hydration in recovering from this drought.