Why it is in news?

• Over a quarter of the world’s land could become significantly drier even if global warming is limited to the target of two degree Celsius, according to scientists
• The change would cause an increased threat of drought and wildfires.
• limiting global warming to under 1.5 degree Celsius would dramatically reduce the fraction of the Earth’s surface that undergoes such changes.

Report

• Aridity is a measure of the dryness of the land surface, obtained from combining precipitation and evaporation.
• Research predicts that aridification would emerge over about 20-30 per cent of the world’s land surface by the time the global mean temperature change reaches two degrees Celsius
• But two thirds of the affected regions could avoid significant aridification if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius
• Aridification is a serious threat because it can critically impact areas such as agriculture, water quality, and biodiversity.
• It can also lead to more droughts and wildfires.

(The hindu)