Nearly half of global land mass hit by extreme drought in 2023

Nearly half of the Earth's land mass was affected by extreme drought last year, as heat-related deaths, food insecurity and the spread of infectious diseases caused by the climate crisis reached record levels, according to a report.

- Anna Bawden

The Lancet Countdown's ninth report finds that in 2023, extreme drought lasting at least one month affected 48% of the global land area, while people had to cope with an unprecedented 50 more days of health-threatening temperatures than would have been expected without the climate crisis. As a result, 151 million more people faced moderate or severe food insecurity, risking malnutrition and other harm.