Is This Global Drought Being Caused By The Systematic Destruction Of The Hydrologic Cycle?By Michael Snyder Trees play an absolutely critical role in our water cycle, and every single minute the amount of land that is deforested around the globe is equivalent to 36 football fields. By extracting water from the soil and releasing it into the atmosphere, trees provide a critical link in the hydrologic cycle that we all depend upon. If there were no more trees, life on this planet would become exceedingly difficult for humanity. So the fact that we are literally ripping the lungs out of the planet is a very big deal. Before we get more into deforestation, lets take a look at the damage that this drought is inflicting all around the world right now. I have repeatedly written about the worst multi-year drought in the history of the state of California and about how we are headed for the worst water crisis this country has ever seen. At this point,1,900 wells have already gone completely dry in California, and there has been so little precipitation that some toddlershave never actually seen rain Things are even worse down in South America. Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, is enduring the worst drought that it has seen in decades. Things are projected to be so dire in Sao Paulo this summer that authorities are consideringbringing in the military to keep order But of course it isnt just Sao Paulo. That entire region of South America is in the midst of a long-term water crisis. Since the year 2000, the amount of rain the southeastern Amazon has been getting has fallen by approximately 25 percent. They desperately need a lot more rain, and they just arent getting it. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, much of the entire continent of Australia is suffering through a devastating multi-year drought. For example, the amount of territory currently enduring drought conditions in Queenslandis the largest ever recorded And things are not looking good on the other end of the country either. Since the mid-1970s, the amount of rain that has fallen in southwestern Australia has declined by about 15 to 20 percent, and it is being projected that the amount of rainfall will drop byanother 40 percent over the next few decades. Another continent that is deep in crisis is Africa. Most people know that the Sahara desert just continues to grow and expand in the north, but most people have not heard of the horrible drought that is now plaguing farmers all over the southern half of the continent. In fact, things are already so bad that authorities are warning of food shortages later this year Are you starting to get the picture? Yes, there has always been drought, but have we ever seen a time when there has been so much severe drought in so many diverse areas of the planet? What we are observing is not normal. And what is especially troubling about all of this is that it appears that we are at least partially responsible for what is happening. As I mentioned at the top of this article, our planet is being deforested at a staggering pace. But there are consequences for all of this deforestation. You see, the truth is that trees play an absolutely critical rolein the hydrologic cycle It has been estimated that our forests are responsible for producing approximately 30 percent of the fresh water for our planet. Trees extract water from the ground and release it into the atmosphere. When there are fewer trees, there is less rain. And that is why the deforestation that is going on all around the globe is so deeply troubling. Just consider the following numbers -According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about18 million acres of forest is lost every single year. -As I mentioned above, the equivalent of36 football fields is being deforested every single minute. -At this point, we have already lostabout half of all the tropical forests in the world. Fortunately, many scientists are starting to realize how this deforestation is contributing to the global drought. For example, scientists in Brazil are nowspecifically blaming deforestation for the nightmarish drought the nation is currently enduring So what do you think about all of this? Do you believe that there is a solution? Please feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment below This article first appeared here at the American Dream. Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here. 