Summer 2019: In-depth Research Report on the 2018 NSW Drought

This research report examines the 2018 drought in New South Wales, Australia, highlighting its devastating impact and ranking it among the worst droughts in history. The report details the drought's geographical extent, affecting regions like the North West, Far West, and Central West of NSW, and its causes, including rainfall changes, the El Niño weather pattern, and global warming. It further elaborates on the social consequences, such as loss of life, health impacts, and increased suicide risk; economic consequences, including crop and livestock losses leading to GDP decline; and environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. The report concludes by suggesting potential solutions, including building dams, integrating satellite monitoring, mitigating climate change, promoting irrigation, and drilling boreholes to cope with future natural disasters.