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Deserts

Hot sun, scorching-hot sand, no water, no shade . . . there’s only one place this could be: the desert. About one-third of our planet is desert, and we get more all the time. Planet Earth is warming overall, and deserts are warming even faster than average. The forces of climate change are helping to create approximately 80,775 square miles (130,000 sq km) of new desert every year. That’s more and more land that can’t be farmed. People who live in or visit deserts need to be very aware of water—where it is, when it’s there, how to get it. According to a U.S. Army report, doing even moderate work in desert conditions will mean you need about 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters)

Dangers: Deserts present many risks, such as dangerous animals, dehydration, flash flooding, heat exhaustion, and sunburn. Did You Know? The world’s oldest desert is the Namib in southwest Africa; its name means “vast place,” and it has been dry for about 55 million years.

of water per day to stave off dehydration. On top of that, there’s the dangers of heat exhaustion and UV radiation exposure. And then there’s the wildlife—

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Places

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