Warning to the Inhabitants of Earth; You Will Be Killed in Absolute Silence

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The drought crisis, exacerbated by rapid climate change, has pushed tens of millions of people worldwide to the brink of famine. Among them, more than 90 million people in East and Southern Africa are facing severe hunger due to the destruction of crops and the death of livestock.

Currently, one-third of Somalia's population has nothing to eat, and at least one million people in the country are displaced. In Zimbabwe, corn harvests have decreased by 70% compared to last year, and over 9,000 livestock have perished. Additionally, in the past month alone, one-sixth of Southern Africa's population has received food aid to survive.

According to a report by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center, these are just limited examples of the beginning of a global disaster that is accelerating. In various parts of the world, drought and poor water management have severely damaged food supplies, energy, and public health.

Mark Svoboda, the founder of the center, says: "This is not just a drought period; this is the worst disaster the world is facing."

The report, endorsed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the International Drought Resilience Alliance, examines in detail more than twelve countries across four regions: Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. By gathering verified data from governments, scientific institutions, and local sources, the report’s authors paint a horrifying picture of human suffering and economic devastation in the near future.

In Latin America, drought has caused a sharp drop in water levels in the Panama Canal, halting shipping and severely reducing trade while increasing costs, so much so that ship traffic between October 2023 and January 2024 has decreased by more than one-third.

By early 2024, Morocco had experienced six consecutive years of drought, grappling with a 57% water deficit. Drought in Spain has led to a 50% drop in olive production and a doubling of olive oil prices. Meanwhile, 88% of Turkey’s land is on the verge of desertification, with overexploitation depleting groundwater reserves and making the risk of land subsidence extremely serious.

Svoboda said: "Mediterranean countries are like the canaries in the coal mine for Europe and America. This means that the struggles of Spain, Morocco, and Turkey to secure water, food, and energy under persistent drought conditions depict a bleak future for water availability in an uncontrolled global warming scenario. Regardless of wealth or technology, no country is safe from the threat of drought."

Drought has disrupted the production and supply chains of key commodities such as rice, coffee, and sugar. Between 2023 and 2024, drought in Thailand and India led to a sharp rise in sugar prices in the U.S. However, the impact of drought worldwide goes beyond water shortages, reduced food production, and electricity rationing.

Global warming is catastrophically altering rainfall patterns. On the one hand, dry regions are becoming drier, while on the other, lush areas are experiencing persistent and devastating rains. Freshwater is now more precious than ever, a result of severe mismanagement of water resources by nations. By the end of this decade, demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40%, and over half of the world’s food production will be lost in the next 25 years.

The rapid melting of the world’s glaciers at an astronomical rate threatens food and water supplies for 2 billion people worldwide. The area of land affected by drought has doubled over the past 120 years.

Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, a global treaty signed in 1992 to control the consequences of drought, says: "Drought is the silent killer of the world’s people, slowly creeping into lives and claiming them. Drought is no longer a distant threat. This silent slaughter demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water disappear, human society collapses. We must prepare to face this reality."

It is worth noting that although the report does not mention Iran’s climate changes, the signs of dangerously rapid drought progression in the country are entirely tangible. In the year 2024, for the first time, it was publicly acknowledged that the spring season has shortened to just one month, while the summer season has extended to 5 months.