Did you know? 40% of the world’s land is already arid!
Research has found that 40% of the world’s land has become permanently arid, making agriculture increasingly difficult over the past 30 years.
Currently, 40% of the Earth’s land has turned into arid areas in the past 30 years, transitioning from once-moist soil. According to research by the UN Science Policy Interface (SPI), a group of scientists established by the United Nations, it is expected that these arid areas will remain permanently dry.
Ibrahim Thiaw, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), commented on this change, saying, “Unlike droughts, which are temporary periods of low rainfall, this desertification is a permanent and relentless transformation.” He further explained, “Droughts have ended, but once an area’s climate shifts towards increasing aridity, the ability to revert to its previous state is lost. The dry conditions now affecting vast areas around the globe will never return to their previous state, and this change is re-defining life on Earth.”
The increasing severity of drought is severely impacting agriculture, with certain crops being especially affected. It is predicted that maize production in Kenya will decrease by half by 2050 if these conditions persist. Furthermore, two-thirds of the world’s land will be able to store less water by the middle of this decade.
Currently, the world’s water crisis is rapidly intensifying, primarily due to the failure to address global greenhouse gas emissions. A study by the SPI found that by 2020, 2.3 billion people around the world were living in arid areas, an increase of 22.5% from 1990.
It is expected that by 2100, the population living in arid regions could double if carbon emissions continue to be insufficiently reduced. Currently, nearly half of Africa’s population already resides in arid areas.
Barron Orr, Chief Scientist at the UNCCD, stated, “For the first time, the UN scientific community is warning that fossil fuel burning is creating permanent drought in most parts of the world, which could affect access to water sources and bring humans and nature closer to a devastating tipping point.”
The fact that around 40% of the world’s land has become permanently arid indicates a significant decline in the quality of the Earth’s soil, with increasing consequences for humans. Human activities play a crucial role in this development.
If the severity of desertification continues to escalate, it will lead to increased poverty, diminishing resources, soil degradation, food shortages, and worsening health issues globally.
There are many solutions available, such as sustainable agriculture, water management, reforestation, and raising awareness among the public. However, ultimately, effective management at the local and national levels is necessary to address the world’s desertification, which sustains our precious life on Earth, as stated by Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London (UCL).
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