Rivers– They’re Drying Up!

Currently, around the world, there are several rivers that are drying up. Rivers dry up due to droughts or lack of rain, and it can also be caused by excessive heat waves. Rivers drying up is detrimental for the world as they cause a serious risk to shipping routes, agriculture, energy supplies, drinking water, etc. For this reason, rivers are crucial for the economy to function well. This is seen around the world including the Mississippi River in the United States. The Mississippi is drying up and the US supply chain is facing the consequences. The agriculture sector, like farmers and factories, is impacted and so is oil and building materials, and many businesses including barge and town-boat operators. On top of that, the prices to ship goods have more than doubled in these past couple weeks. The Mississippi river is essential to the economy of the US and with the river drying up, it would lead to more and more problems as time goes on. The cause for rivers drying up has been attributed to climate change and global warming. The warmer temperatures enhance evaporation, which reduces surface water and dries up soils which then leads to droughts and dried up rivers. Overall, the economy is facing a problem from the drying up of Mississippi river and there must be steps taken to address climate change which is affecting day-to-day weather and every aspect of our lives.