Final answer:
The factors that most contributed to the decrease in size of Lake Chad are climate change and unsustainable diversions of river water. Climate change has caused increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns, leading to drier conditions and decreased inflow into the lake. Unsustainable diversions of river water for agriculture and industry have further reduced water inflow.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factors that most contributed to the decrease in size of Lake Chad are climate change and unsustainable diversions of river water. Climate change has caused increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns in the region, leading to drier conditions and decreased inflow into the lake. Additionally, unsustainable diversions of river water for agricultural and industrial purposes have further reduced the water inflow into Lake Chad.
Climate change has resulted in the region experiencing higher temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns. Africa as a whole is already the hottest continent in the world, and its wettest regions have seen increased rainfall and floods, while dry regions have experienced decreased rainfall and worsened droughts. These changes have impacted Lake Chad by reducing inflow and increasing evaporation, causing the lake to shrink in size.
Unsustainable diversions of river water have also significantly contributed to the decrease in size of Lake Chad. Human activities such as irrigation for agriculture and water extraction for industrial purposes have diverted water from the rivers that feed into the lake, resulting in decreased inflow. The Aral Sea and other lakes around the world have similarly been impacted by unsustainable diversions of water, leading to their shrinkage and even disappearance.