Soil is the solution
EnvironmentUlaanbaatar
/MONTSAME/. What do you think of when you hear the word “desertification”? Sand
dunes slowly encroaching on bountiful farmland? The Sahara and Gobi taking over
Africa and Asia? Rivers and streams drying up? That’s certainly part of it. But
the key impact of desertification is the degradation of land – to the point
where soil becomes so damaged that it no longer supports life.
Soil is so much more
than dirt. And healthy soil is essential to a healthy planet. The ground
beneath our feet is teeming with a hidden world of plants, animals and microbes
– many too tiny to see. But our survival depends on them. This overlooked
reservoir feeds our agriculture and food industries. It helps to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions and keeps plants, animals and humans strong.
But today, more than
one fifth of the planet’s land – including more than half of our agricultural
land – is suffering. Each year, more than 12 million hectares of land are lost
to desertification, land degradation and drought. This loss hurts over 3
billion people, particularly poor and rural communities in the developing world.
At the same time, when land is hastily converted to cropland, without
considering the overall health of our environment, then carbon and nitrous
oxide are released into the atmosphere. Climate change accelerates,
biodiversity withers and infectious diseases blossom. This all jeopardizes
water supplies, livelihoods and our ability to face natural disasters and extreme
weather events.
Unless we act now,
it’s only going to get worse. Over the next 25 years, land degradation could
reduce global food productivity by as much as 12%, leading to a 30% increase in
world food prices. We will never achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if
we remain complacent.
But there is much to
be hopeful about – and much that we can achieve together. As we have seen with the
rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, when the will is there and resources
are deployed, humankind can achieve truly astounding feats.
Restoring 350
million hectares of degraded land by 2030 could take between 13 and 26 gigatons
of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. For every dollar spent on land
restoration – including through low-skilled and labour-intensive projects – at
least 9 dollars of economic benefits can be expected. Restoring land not only
generates green job opportunities across a wide range of industries – but will also
enable us to grow more nutritious food, provide clean water security, address
biodiversity loss, and mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Whether we’re
talking about city dwellers, who need reliable supplies of fruits and
vegetables, or island hoteliers, who count on protected beaches and swaying
palm trees to draw in tourists, or hospital patients, whose lives depend on nature-derived
medicines, one thing is clear. There is no person on earth – or for that matter
any being – whose existence is not tied to land.
So, what can you do
to help protect our land and soil? One simple step is not to waste food –
because when farmers work the land to produce food we’re not eating, that just
exhausts our soil unnecessarily. And if you’re an urbanite, you can work with
your local officials to make your city greener – through such innovative
methods as rooftop gardens and vertical forests.
Here at the United
Nations, promoting land regeneration is a critical part of our work. In the
coming months, major conferences to follow up on the three Rio Conventions – the
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – will all
be held during the same year for the first time ever. This a unique opportunity
to reflect on the health of our planet – and on what we can do to improve it
and protect our very existence.
For my part, on 20 May,
I will host a high-level meeting on desertification, land degradation and
drought, in the iconic United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York. This
meeting – the first of its kind in more than a decade – will build on previous achievements,
highlight gaps in our collective efforts and spur momentum towards the three
big Rio-related conferences. It will remind us that land degradation is real
and needs to be fought. It will show how three seemingly different issues –
climate, biodiversity and desertification – are actually intrinsically linked.
And it will drive up ambition for global action.
The General Assembly
is the only body where all 193 Member States of the United Nations sit as
equals. So, there is no better place to tackle the problems that transcend
borders and affect us all. When it comes to the very earth we stand on – the
life-giving soil that sustains us – there is no time to waste. High-level
conferences may not improve the situation overnight. But in making sure we’re
all on the same page, sharing best practices and taking real steps together, we
can change course. Ultimately, we will reverse desertification,
land degradation and drought – because there is no other choice. But we will
need to work together. We will need to change some of our practices. And I hope
the United Nations can count on your support.
By Volkan Bozkir
Learn more at: www.un.org/pga/75/event/high-level-dialogue-on-desertification-land-degradation-and-drought/