What is Desertification? Experts hope that the devastating trend can be reversed – global problems

On December 2, countries from around the world will meet in Riyadh under the auspices of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to discuss how to turn the tide from degradation to regeneration.

Here are five things you need to know about desertification and why the world needs to stop treating the planet like dirt to protect the productive land that supports life on Earth.

No life without land

It may be stating the obvious, but without healthy land there can be no life. It feeds, clothes and houses humanity.

It provides jobs, secures livelihoods and is the foundation of the local, national and global economy. It helps regulate the climate and is essential for biodiversity.

Despite their importance to life as we know it, up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded, affecting around 3.2 billion people; That’s almost half of the world’s population.

From deforested mountains in Haiti to the gradual disappearance of Lake Chad in the Sahel to the drying up of productive land in Georgia in Eastern Europe, land degradation affects every part of the world.

It is no exaggeration to say that our future is at stake if our country does not remain healthy.

Degraded land

Desertification, the process by which land in typically dry areas becomes degraded, is due to various factors, including climatic fluctuations and human activities such as over-farming or deforestation.

100 million hectares (or a million square kilometers), the size of a country like Egypt, of healthy and productive land are lost every year.

The soils in these areas, which can take hundreds of years to form, are often depleted by extreme weather conditions.

Droughts are becoming increasingly severe, and by 2050 three-quarters of the world’s people are expected to face water scarcity.

Due to climate change, temperatures are increasing and leading to extreme weather events, including droughts and floods, making it even more difficult to maintain land productivity.

Land loss and climate

There is clear evidence that land degradation is linked to broader environmental challenges such as climate change.

Terrestrial ecosystems absorb a third of human CO2₂ Emissions, the gas that drives climate change. However, poor land management puts this critical capacity at risk and further compromises efforts to slow the release of these harmful gases.

Deforestation, which contributes to desertification, is increasing, with only 60 percent of the world’s forests remaining intact, falling below the “safe target of 75 percent” set by the United Nations.

What needs to be done? – the “moonshot moment”

The good news is that humanity has the know-how and power to bring land back to life and transform destruction into restoration.

Resilient economies and resilient communities can be fostered by addressing the impacts of devastating droughts and devastating floods.

Crucially, the people who rely on land should have the greatest say in decision-making.

UNCCD says 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land must be restored by 2030 to “restore the country to its former glory.”

And this is already happening, with farmers in Burkina Faso adopting new techniques, environmentalists in Uzbekistan planting trees to avoid salt and dust emissions, and activists protecting the Philippine capital Manila from extreme weather by renewing natural barriers.

What can be achieved in Riyadh?

Policymakers, experts, the private and civil society sectors and youth will gather in Riyadh with a range of objectives including:

• Accelerate the restoration of degraded lands by 2030 and beyond
• Strengthen resilience to increasing droughts and sand and dust storms
• Restore soil health and increase production of nature-friendly foods
• Secure land rights and promote justice for sustainable land governance
• Ensure land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions
• Develop economic opportunities, including decent agricultural jobs for youth