Desertification is one of the biggest global challenges today. “Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by variations in climate and human activities.” http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/#1
About one third of the world’s population lives in a dryland ecosystem. Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Central Asia is where the majority of desertification is happening.
There are many factors that can lead to desertification. Deforestation is one of the factors that cause desertification. About 40 to 80 percent of trees retain water vapor. Once the trees and forests are wiped out it causes less precipitation Trees are also essential for watershed control. . http://www.belgradelakes.org/02_08_TREES.htm Trees prevent sediment buildup in rivers, flooding, and drought. Once a land has been depleted of trees the area is susceptible to flooding which causes lost in crops. The land is also susceptible to drought and water scarcity because there are not enough trees to retain water vapor.
Deforestation also increases erosion and lose of arable land. Without roots to anchor and hold in the soil, the soil becomes venerable and is swept away by floods and winds. In Madagascar where the deforestation has become prominent the rivers run blood red because of erosion. This pollutes their drinking water and causes possible diseases. http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0903.htm
Another factor that leads to desertification is overpopulation. With more people to sustain on this planet it is necessary to herd more cattle, to plant more crops, and to exploit more land. However, the effects are adverse. Herding cattle and planting of crops eventually leaves a land dry of resources. The area becomes desert-like with little resources, poor soil, and less precipitation.
The effects of desertification encompass everyone. Dust clouds are created harboring virus, bacteria, and dangerous pathogens. Dust clouds are usually carried away from the place origin thousands of miles away i.e. a dust cloud originally from China was carried all the way to Utah. http://discovermagazine.com/2005/mar/cover. Dust clouds can alter ecosystems, pollute water sources, and affect our health.
Another product of desertification is the migration of people to urban settings. The migration causes breeding grounds for diseases and puts more pressure on resources.
Countries like China are trying to reverse the effects of desertification by planting millions of trees in deprived areas. Other ways to prevent and stop desertification is through educational programs which teach people how to properly grow crops. However, it is obvious that not enough is being done. There are too many people dying everyday from waterborne diseases, starvation, and illness because of lack of resources.
I hope this blog made some readers more aware of global issues.
Thank you for writing about this topic. I do not think alot of people are even aware of this information. What you have written about, this will engage more people to read more about this topic and learn more about how it affects us. We can see these effects plaguing us in this country as well as globally.
Thank you for writing this. Awareness is everything.
Thank you for acknowledging this. I feel that many people neglect to read and think about the most important issues of today. People would rather talk about religion, abortion, and gay marriage rather than about an issue that affects our health and damages our way of life.
I think we are stuck on "invisible values" rather than thinking about real hard issues of today.
I read a NatGeo article about desertification. Another major contributor to desertification is probably the one that's the most serious, since there's nothing we can do about it: drought. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but until Mother Nature throws us a bone, desertification will probably continue. Either that, or humanity learns how to control the weather. That'd be nice.
I think that since most Americans don't experience desertification first hand, they don't really think about it, and that's the wrong attitude to have in today's world, like you suggested. Also, since desertification happens constantly but in small quantities, it's hard to notice in the short term, like global warming. Kudos to people like you for raising awareness.