A THIRD OF the Earth’s total landmass has become a victim of desertification, threatening the livelihood of a billion people in over 100 countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global body for assessing the state of climate change and its impacts, released its 1,500-page report on August 8, echoing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s finding. IPCC sounded a clear warning for the world: adopt sustainable land management practices or face the consequences of land degradation, climate change, and desertification.
It's Special Report on Climate Change defines desertification as land degradation occurring in drylands—arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. And the way we use land is rapidly turning large tracts dry. Three-quarters of the Earth’s ice-free land is already under stress.
Nearly 50 million hectares (ha) of forest land have been acquired since 2000, mostly for agriculture, in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. As natural grasslands have been replaced with pasturelands, forests with cropland, and wetlands have dried up, greenhouse gases (GHG) in the environment have peaked. During 2007-2016, human activities added 13 percent carbon dioxide (CO 2), 44 percent methane and 82 percent of nitrous oxide to the environment. This was largely due to deforestation, wood harvesting, and agricultural practices. In most regions, global warming due to GHG accelerated desertification and land degradation. Since 1961, the world has lost 11-14 percent of its biodiversity due to land-use changes. These have had drastic social and environmental impacts, yet there is no sign of stagnation in land acquisitions in the foreseeable future.
Denne historien er fra September 01, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra September 01, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara