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# GRAPHIC: Droughts, extreme rainfall will likely become more frequent and more intense, UN climate change report shows
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-droughts-extreme-rainfall-will-likely-become-more-frequent-and-more-intense-un-climate-change-report-shows/
- Published: 2021-08-11T20:08:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T18:10:55.000Z
- Description: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” the report reads.
- Author: Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY Network Agriculture Data Fellow, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Environment, Data Harvest, climate change, Drought, TP::Explainer, extreme weather, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

On Monday, the United Nations released its latest report on climate change, finding many of the world’s changes are unprecedented and irreversible.

“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” the [report](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/content/files/www-ipcc-ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/ipcc%5Far6%5Fwgi%5Fspm.pdf) reads.

If the planet continues to warm, many of the changes will become more frequent and more intense, according to the report.

For example, before the industrial revolution, a drought affecting agriculture might have happened once every 10 years. But, with the current 1 degree Celsius of warming, droughts occur more frequently — once every six years.

If the planet's temperature rises 2 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels — at the Paris Agreement’s [target](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement/key-aspects-of-the-paris-agreement?ref=investigatemidwest.org) — droughts will happen every 4 years. And if the temperature increases to 4 degrees, it will happen every 2.4 years.

*Photo courtesy Canva*