About World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought - Elif Betül Şahin
In 1994 the UN General Assembly announced the “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” to raise public awareness of desertification and drought, inform the community that predicament can be solved with collective and individual actions, and support the countries struggling the most. [1]
The UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) defined desertification in 1994 as “Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities.” Furthermore, defined drylands as “Areas other than polar and sub-polar regions, in which the ratio of annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration falls within the range from 0.05 to 0.65”. [2]
Desertification does not refer to the increase of existing deserts. It stands for dryland ecosystems, which cover over one-third of the world’s land area, are caused by overexploitation and inappropriate land use.
As Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) stated, “Land degradation is almost always the result of multiple interacting causes”, including “economic, demographic, technological, institutional and cultural drivers”. The causation of desertification can be classified as natural and human-caused unnatural. Erosion can be an example of natural desertification; thus, it can occur naturally as well as unnaturally human-caused ways. Erosion infers the gradual fragmentation and extraction of rock and soil. It is typically through natural forces such as wind, rain, and waves. But causes of desertification are associated directly with how the land is managed. “Unsustainable land management and agricultural expansion, in causing or worsening many of these desertification processes”, says Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev. Deforestation, overgrazing of livestock, overgrazing of crops, and improper irrigation are straightforward and influential constituents in desertification and drought. Removing trees can ruin the balance of nutrients in the soil and remove the roots that help bind the soil together, leading to being eroded and washed or blown away. Consider that healthy and resilient land is the first defense against natural disasters. Loss of nutrients, just as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or deterioration of organic matter in the soil eventuate soil to lose its fertility. These incorrect methods applied in the land will increase greenhouse gas emissions over time. Which will lead to an increase in the rate of desertification and becomes widespread. Desertification also affects biodiversity around the world. When the land degrades and quits being fertile, natural spaces deteriorate and transform, and biodiversity decreases. Joyce Kimutai says, “Desertification has already contributed to the global loss of biodiversity.” The destruction of biodiversity at this scale will have a negative impact on human life in the long term.
Globally, twenty-three percent of the land is no longer productive because seventy-five percent of the land has been transformed from its natural state, mainly for agriculture. Although transformation is part of nature, the dilemma with this transformation is that it occurs at the fastest rate in human history; thus, creatures other than humans cannot adapt. Even if no precautions are taken, experts predict in the IPCC land report that under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, drylands will increase by 11% and 23% contrasted to 1961–90. This would mean drylands could make up around 50%-56% of the Earth’s land surface by the end of this century. [2]
Desertification and drought are global problems, and collective policies must be pursued.
Desertification affects sand and dust storms. Eighty percent of the food we consume originates from the land. Drylands also offer high-value products of global economic value; at least 30% of the world’s cultivated plants and many livestock breeds develop in drylands. Aforementioned healthy and resilient land is the first defense against natural disasters. They also carry a value as a genetic reservoir that is becoming frequently crucial for climate change adaptation. Currently, more than 2 billion people live in drylands. Soils are an essential reserve of carbon. Approximately 32% of the carbon is kept in all the world’s soils.[1]
After recognizing the importance and impact of drylands and lands on the world at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, negotiated to “strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development.” This concept of “land degradation neutrality” (LDN) was subsequently taken up by the UNCCD and formally adopted as Target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Organizations such as the UN and UNESCO created several projects to combat and raise public awareness about desertification and drought, such as The Information System and Early Warning of Droughts of the Southwest of Buenos Aires (SIAT), BIOsphere, and Heritage of Lake Chad (BIOPALT) Project and Information for Arid Lands (G-WADI). Furthermore, several actions are taken by people, for example, In the south of Iran, indigenous women self-organize to improve citizens’ circumstances; in the Balkans and, women perform a role in managing forest, water, and land sustainably. [2]
This year, the UN scheduled a two-sectioned online event to raise awareness about the difficulty humanity faces. The first meeting topic will be the High-Level Meeting on Desertification, Degradation, and Drought. June 14. 10–18:00 (EST). The following event will be on the International Day on June 17. 9–15:00 (CEST). On that day, a special report about drought and its impacts will be launched. [3]
REFERENCES
[1] “Drylands: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.” Drylands | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/specific-ecosystems/drylands/.
[2] “Explainer: Desertification and the Role of Climate Change.” Carbon Brief, 2 Sept. 2020, www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-desertification-and-the-role-of-climate-change.
[3] “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/observances/desertification-day.
