5. What are the main causes of drought?

The main cause of drought is the scarcity or total lack of rain. After this definition, the question that fits is: what are the causes of the scarcity of rain?

Scarcity of rain and drought are closely related to each other. Lack of rainfall is one of the main causes of drought. On the other hand, during the drought, humidity and cloud production decrease, which produces a decrease in rainfall and, in extreme cases, the almost total suspension of rainfall.

Deforestation of the world’s great rainforests reduces humidity, transpiration and cloud formation. There will be less rain on them, but also on middle and even distant areas. As there are fewer and fewer trees due to intensive and illegal logging, rainfall will also decrease, and droughts will be more and more prolonged.

Oceanic and atmospheric climatic cycles, such as the El Niño phenomenon, produce droughts every time it appears in the territories under its influence, such as the Americas, Australia, and Borneo. The North Atlantic Oscillation has been related to droughts in northeastern Spain.