Learn Dutch: Bomen verdwijnen doordat de droogte de woestijn groter maakt. - Trees disappear because the drought makes the desert bigger.

While both can be translated as "because", doordat is specifically used for an objective cause or a natural consequence. It describes a situation where one event directly causes another, completely outside of human intention (a drought causing a desert to grow). Omdat is generally used for reasons, which often involve a person's motivation or subjective choice.

Why is the verb maakt at the very end of the sentence?

Doordat is a subordinating conjunction, and in Dutch, these connecting words push all verbs to the end of their clause. So, instead of the English word order (because the drought makes...), the verb maakt is kicked to the end: doordat de droogte de woestijn groter maakt.

There are two nouns right next to each other: de droogte de woestijn. How can I tell which one is the subject?

In a Dutch subordinate clause, the subject normally comes immediately after the conjunction. Since de droogte (the drought) is placed directly after doordat, you know the drought is the subject doing the action, and de woestijn (the desert) is the object being affected.

Could I use a single verb for "makes bigger", like "enlarges"?