A UN report indicates that over 75% of the world’s land has become permanently drier since 1990, mainly due to climate change, threatening the livelihoods of up to five billion people by 2100. Regions most affected include Mediterranean nations, southern Africa, and parts of Asia. Urgent measures are necessary to combat soil degradation and food insecurity resulting from this alarming trend and facilitate adaptation in vulnerable communities.
A recent UN-backed report has revealed that over 75 percent of global land has become “permanently drier” in the last 30 years, coinciding with the ongoing Cop16 discussions on desertification in Saudi Arabia. This alarming trend indicates that dry land now constitutes nearly 40 percent of the Earth’s surface, thus posing an existential threat to approximately five billion people by the year 2100.
The study indicates that dry land has expanded by 4.3 million square kilometers since 1990, approximately one-third the size of India. It also highlighted that aridity now affects over 40.6 percent of the world’s land, escalating from 37.5 percent three decades ago. Areas predominantly impacted include countries surrounding the Mediterranean, southern Africa, southern Australia, and various regions in Asia and Latin America, highlighting the widespread nature of this crisis.
Significantly, the report underscores the distinction between droughts and aridity, noting that while droughts are temporary, aridity signifies a permanent change in climate. The UNCCD Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, remarked, “The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were and this change is redefining life on Earth.”
Contributing factors such as global warming, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, have exacerbated the situation by altering rainfall patterns and increasing evaporation rates. Experts advocate for immediate action to combat the impact of desertification by integrating aridity metrics into drought monitoring systems and improving resource management.
With approximately 2.3 billion individuals currently residing in arid regions, the potential scenario sees this number swelling to five billion amidst relentless climate change. The consequences of chronic water scarcity include soil degradation, ecosystem collapse, food insecurity, and increased forced migration, necessitating urgent international collaboration and adaptive solutions to mitigate these dire impacts.
The report stems from research conducted by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), focusing on how climate change is precipitating permanent shifts in global aridity and its consequences. The ongoing COP16 conference in Saudi Arabia serves as a platform to address the urgent issue of desertification, fostering discussions geared towards land protection and restoration strategies. The data presented in the report highlights worsening arid conditions and stresses the need for proactive measures, especially for vulnerable regions that face the brunt of these environmental changes.
In conclusion, the revelation that over 75 percent of the world’s land has transitioned to permanent dryness represents a significant environmental crisis that could affect billions of lives in the coming decades. Urgent action is required to adapt agricultural practices, enhance water management, and foster resilience in communities facing escalating arid conditions.
Original Source: www.rfi.fr
