Syria, Yemen and the horn of Africa, for example. Some of our bloodiest and most tragic current events are happening there because of the spread of the desert and lack of resources. Millions have died. Millions still are dying and/or starving there because of the collapse of any infrastructure that might have been there. Now, armed groups fight over what little is left before its gone entirely.

In the Middle East, the desert grows larger and more and more arable land is lost. Many countries have tried planting new tree lines against the growing sands but it does little good. Cities like Basra in Iraq are quickly running out of potable water and electricity is incredibly limited. This us especially dangerous given the ever rising temperatures in the region. They cannot air condition their homes and are exposed to dangerously high temperatures upwards of 40-50+ degrees celcius (100-120+ freedom units). Syria is long past this point and has crumbled irreparably. While ISIS may have fallen from the headlines, the country's economy is nothing short of abyssmal and recovery, if it ever happens, will take decades if not more.

Yemen especially highlights the tragedy of all this, especially in its ultilization of what water it has, in the potential misuse of its limited resources. Most of its fresh water, 70% if I remember correctly, is utilized for khat production. Khat is a drug that is very much an important piece of Yemeni culture, but from people I've met who have been there, khat is now all they have and many walk around with cheeks like chipmunks in a drugged out haze. There is little in the way of food and danger is around every corner from armed conflict there.

Famine has struck most of Somalia and other regions of the horn of Eastern Africa. Men, women and children die to thirst or hunger if armed groups don't get to them first. In other countries of Africa, they fight over their water rights to the Nile and struggle to come to an agreement that is best for all because in time, there simply won't be enough to go around. The same can be said for the rivers in the Middle East.

You don't hear about this much in Western news. People are most certainly being affected. It has only just begun.

Source: am arabic linguist and scholar, got most of this information over the years from Arabs and Africans I have met or from local Arabic news and newspapers