*5.1.6 Droughts*

*Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development*

*Climate change promotes more dangerous hurricanes.*

Climate change causes more frequent wildfires. The dry, hot weather has increased the intensity and destructiveness of forest fires in several countries (e.g., Brazil, USA, and Australia) (**Figure 6**) [10, 11]. Wildfires can cause deforestation, serious property damage, exposure of large populations to prolonged periods of polluted and toxic air with potential health impacts (e.g., respiratory diseases), and death. Amazon (Brazil) has become more flammable and vulnerable to wildfires during recent droughts [10]. California (USA) has experienced devastating autumn wildfires in recent years [11]; over 100 fatalities were directly attributed to the most destructive and deadliest wildfires that occurred

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**Figure 6.**

*Climate change causes more frequent wildfires.*

*5.1.5 Wildfires*

**Figure 5.**

in 2017 and 2018.

Drought is a complex and multivariate phenomenon influenced by diverse physical and biological processes. Drought is among the most expensive natural disasters. Climate change is responsible for more frequent and severe droughts (especially in subtropical regions), promoting the expansion of deserts (**Figure 7**) [4, 12]. This will lead to misery, hunger, starvation, and population movement.

#### **Figure 7.** *Climate change is responsible for more frequent and severe droughts.*
