Drought: definition, causes and impacts
Define drought using the syllabus, explain rainfall and climate-related causes, and trace impacts on water, land, food, health and livelihoods.
Section Paper 2 · Environmental Management in Context
This original StudyForA sequence supports Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management 0680 Topics 1–4 for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Named local examples are chosen by the learner and centre; verify current conditions and local context with reliable sources. It is not a Cambridge paper, official grade or complete course.
Before you begin
- Use the 2027–2029 syllabus and check your exam year and centre's entry arrangements. Topics 1–4 are taught on this page; Topics 5–7 are still being built.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which climate-related cause is listed?
What you will learn
- Define drought using the syllabus, explain rainfall and climate-related causes, and trace impacts on water, land, food, health and livelihoods.
- Use evidence from an unfamiliar case to explain a cause-and-effect link and justify a suitable response.
Define and explain drought
A drought is a period of dry weather that is longer or more severe than normal. The definition compares conditions with what is normal for that place, rather than using one universal duration.
Causes in the syllabus are lack of rain and climate change through increased global temperatures and increased extreme weather events.
Explain environmental and human impacts
Water sources can dry up. Crops, livestock and habitats may be lost; soil erosion and desertification can follow, and organisms may die.
Drought can contribute to famine, greater wildfire risk and reduced air quality. Financial losses and effects on human health may follow through food, water, work and heat exposure.
Connect impacts through resource pathways
Reduced water availability can limit drinking water, irrigation and ecosystem needs. Lower crop production can affect food supplies and income, while dry vegetation can increase fire risk.
Impacts are not identical: severity depends on duration, water storage, land use, livelihoods, infrastructure and preparedness. Use local rainfall and water evidence to assess them.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Which is a possible drought impact?
Worked example
Rainfall is below its local norm for an unusually long period. Explain why this fits the drought definition and trace two possible impacts.
Show the worked solution
- Drought is a dry period longer or more severe than normal, so comparison with the local norm matters.
- Water sources may dry up, reducing water for people, livestock and crops.
- Crop loss may affect food and income, while dry vegetation can raise wildfire risk; local conditions shape the outcomes.
Answer The description fits the relative definition of drought. Reduced water may affect crops, livelihoods and fire risk, depending on duration and local capacity.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A region has had less rain than usual for a long period. Explain how to decide whether it meets the syllabus definition and give two possible impacts.
Give me a hint
Compare with normal conditions and connect dry weather to resources or health.
Compare my reasoning
- Compare the duration or severity of dry weather with what is normal for that region.
- If it is longer or more severe than normal, it fits the syllabus drought definition.
- Possible impacts include water sources drying up, crop or livestock losses, soil erosion, wildfire risk, financial loss or human-health effects.
Drought is relative to normal local conditions. Water, food, land, fire and health impacts may occur and need evidence.
Look for these in your work
- Local norm used
- Definition stated accurately
- Two possible impacts identified
A drought is followed by crop failure, bare soil and wildfire. Explain two causal pathways and one other factor that could affect the severity.
Give me a hint
Connect limited water to crops and vegetation, and dry conditions to erosion or fire.
Compare my reasoning
- Water shortages can reduce crop growth and yields, contributing to crop failure and food or income loss.
- Loss of vegetation can leave soil exposed to erosion and can increase wildfire risk in dry conditions.
- Severity may depend on duration, soil, water stores, land management, livelihoods and preparedness.
Reduced water can affect crops and vegetation; exposed soil and dry fuel can lead to erosion and fire risk. Context affects the outcome.
Look for these in your work
- Two pathways explained
- Environmental and human impact linked
- Contextual factor included
Two districts experience similar rainfall deficits, but one has larger water stores and diversified livelihoods. Explain why impacts may differ and what evidence would help compare them.
Give me a hint
Compare exposure and capacity as well as rainfall.
Compare my reasoning
- Larger water stores can provide a buffer for people, crops and livestock, depending on access and water quality.
- Diversified livelihoods may reduce dependence on a single drought-sensitive activity, though not every household benefits equally.
- Compare rainfall duration, water storage and access, crop and income data, health outcomes and support availability.
Similar rainfall deficits can lead to different impacts because resources and livelihoods vary. Comparable local records are needed to judge differences.
Look for these in your work
- Capacity factors explained
- Access and unequal impact considered
- Evidence matched to comparison
Common mistakes
- Defining drought by one fixed number of days everywhere
- Saying climate change is the only possible cause
- Treating desertification as automatic after one dry period
- Ignoring human health and financial effects
What can you explain now?
Which definition matches the syllabus?
Compare with the explanation
A dry period longer or more severe than normal
The correct answer is “A dry period longer or more severe than normal”. The alternatives “Any day without rain” and “A period when all water supplies are permanently lost” do not match the syllabus concept. Define drought using the syllabus, explain rainfall and climate-related causes, and trace impacts on water, land, food, health and livelihoods.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Define drought relative to local conditions, explain its causes and trace impacts through water, food, land and health.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.