New Zealand is drying out, and here's why - 0 views
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John Pearce on 06 Oct 14"Over 2012 and 2013, parts of New Zealand experienced their worst drought in nearly 70 years. Drought is the costliest climate extreme in New Zealand; the 2012-2013 event depressed the country's GDP by 0.7-0.9%. The drought of 1988-1989 affected 5,500 farms, pushing some farmers to the wall. But what does a climate-changed future hold? Recent evidence confirms that New Zealand on the whole is getting dryer. And we're beginning to understand why - increasing greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases are driving changes in the atmosphere, with impacts far beyond New Zealand."