Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - On December 5, 2024, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) reported alarming statistics regarding global land degradation, revealing that four football fields of land degrade into desert every second. This translates to an area nearly equivalent to Ethiopia being lost annually.
Currently, approximately 40% of the world's land is degraded, with nearly half of the planet's land mass at risk of becoming nonarable desert. The report highlights that extreme drought, exacerbated by human-induced climate change, is a significant factor driving this transformation.
With one-third of the global population residing in drylands, the consequences of desertification include heightened food insecurity, poverty, and mass displacement. The UN has called for the restoration of 1.5 billion hectares of desertified land by 2030, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Climate change, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices are identified as key drivers of desertification. A UN report warns that by 2050, drought could affect 75% of the global population, further intensifying water scarcity and soil degradation.
Efforts to combat desertification include promoting sustainable agricultural practices and restoring soil health. Initiatives such as the Great Green Wall in Africa aim to halt the southward spread of the Sahara Desert by planting billions of trees across 8,000 kilometers.
In addition, projects in Mauritania and Niger focus on improving water resilience through the construction of rainwater-retaining ponds. Despite progress, funding challenges continue to hinder restoration efforts.
As desertification accelerates, the UN warns of increased biodiversity loss, hunger, and conflicts over dwindling resources. The need for immediate action to restore degraded land and promote sustainable practices has never been more critical.