The intensity of extreme drought and rainfall has "sharply" increased over the past 20 years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Water. These aren't merely tough weather events, they are leading to extremes such as crop failure, infrastructure damage, even humanitarian crises and conflict.
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Photos: Climate change impacts around the world
FILE - Bruce McDougal watches embers fly over his property as the Bond Fire burns through the Silverado community in Orange County, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2020. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
FILE - Mohamed Mohamud, a ranger from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy, looks at the carcass of a giraffe that died of hunger near Matana Village, Wajir County, Kenya, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
FILE - Rangers from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy supply water from a tanker for wild animals in the conservancy in Wajir County, Kenya, Oct. 26, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
FILE - Homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - A youngster, with an eye drawn on her hand to show she is watching and 1.5 for countries to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, takes part in a Fridays for Future climate protest inside a plenary corridor at the SEC (Scottish Event Campus) venue for the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, in Glasgow, Scotland, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
FILE - Houses lay between the Senegal river, top, and the Atlantic Ocean beach that has been affected by erosion in Saint Louis, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - Shayanne Summers holds her dog, Toph, while wrapped in a blanket after several days of staying in a tent at an evacuation center at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Oak Grove, Ore. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
FILE - Roots are photographed near the old village of Aceredo in northwestern Spain, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FIL E- Fog covers the landscape in a flooded area near the Ebro River in the small village of Alcala de Ebro, Aragon province, northern Spain, Dec. 13, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
FILE - Climate activists take part in a demonstration outside the venue of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
FILE - Diver Everton Simpson plants staghorn harvested from a coral nursery inside the the White River Fish Sanctuary Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Simpson uses bits of fishing line to tie clusters of staghorn coral onto rocky outcroppings, a temporary binding until the coral's limestone skeleton grows and fixes itself onto the rock. The goal is to jumpstart the natural growth of a coral reef. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - Jungle stands next to an area that was burnt due to wildfires near Porto Velho, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)
FILE - Yvonne Lacobon hugs a dog beside Tommy Williams at Williams' home damaged by Hurricane Ida, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Dulac, La. The United Nations on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, released a new report on climate change. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
