Desertification in China affects 27.4% of the land, impacting around 400 million people and leading to food insecurity, disrupted livelihoods, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. Defined by the UNCCD as land degradation in arid regions primarily from climatic changes and human activities, desertification results from factors such as climate change, overgrazing, poor water management, and deforestation. In China, severe desertification has been exacerbated since the 1980s, with the World Bank noting that over a quarter of the country is now desertified.
Desertification impacts include crop failure, livestock mortality, and dwindling water sources, driving populations to become climate refugees and increasing the potential for conflict due to resource scarcity. Sandstorms and dust pollution have also emerged as significant hazards.
To combat desertification, China initiated the Great Green Wall project in 1978, aiming to plant millions of trees across the northern desert border. The project targets tree coverage to combat land degradation and is ahead of schedule, raising forest coverage significantly. As global policies and SDGs focus on sustainable ecosystems and reversing land degradation, the urgency to address climate change and desertification remains critical for the livelihoods of those affected.
Source link
