The study, published in the journal Nature this week, analyzed the effects of drier and warmer conditions brought about by climate change on agriculture, ecosystems, and water supply.

Australia’s southern states are projected to experience more frequent and prolonged day-zero drought incidents with shorter intervals between them, which hampers recovery efforts.

It could face this situation as early as the 2020s or 2030s.

The scientists used a large number of climate models to assess the timing and likelihood of day-zero droughts.

Christian Franzke, a climate scientist at Pusan National University in South Korea and one of the authors of the report, described these as “unprecedented water scarcity events,” events that have not occurred until now.

“It’s when you turn on your water tap and no water comes out,” he said.

South Australia has already had a taste of what may come in the years ahead following the severe drought earlier this year.

Parts of South Australia, south-west Victoria and north-west Tasmania had their driest start to the year on record.

This situation led farmers to request urgent hay supplies or sell livestock to maintain their businesses, while some remote communities relied on water deliveries as their reservoirs dried up.

Franzke emphasized that these findings underscore the urgent necessity to accelerate the transition to clean energy and improve water management, noting significant wastage due to issues like leaky pipes.