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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/04/degradation-of-land-is-threat-to-human-life-saudi-government-says>
"The degradation of the world’s soils and landscapes is threatening human life,
and must be addressed as a matter of urgency, the government of Saudi Arabia
has said.
Neglect of the land is wiping trillions of dollars from global economies,
hampering agricultural production, disrupting water supplies, threatening
children with poor nutrition, and destroying vital ecosystems, according to the
country’s deputy environment minister.
Land degradation, and ways to combat the problem, will come into sharp focus at
a global summit to be held in the nation’s capital, Riyadh, in December.
The conference of the parties (Cop) to the UN convention on combating
desertification (CCD), which takes place every two years, is often an
overlooked international meeting, sparsely attended compared with the Cops on
climate and on biodiversity.
But as this year’s host, Saudi Arabia is planning to put the issue of land
management in the spotlight, inviting senior ministers and heads of government
from around the world, in an attempt to bring in some financial muscle. In so
doing, the country, often accused of obstructive behaviour at climate Cops,
will offer an unusual glimpse of its own environmental priorities, in a world
increasingly imperilled by global heating and related water shortages.
Osama Faqeeha, deputy environment minister in the kingdom’s government, said
people should not be misled by the term desertification, which could appear a
narrow concern limited to arid countries. In fact, the CCD should be understood
to cover all of the globe’s vulnerable lands, and efforts to rescue and protect
them.
“This Cop is about land degradation, land preservation and drought,” he told
the
Guardian, in a rare interview. “It’s very important for water security,
food security, biodiversity, and human community. We need to go back to basics
and remind the world of this connection we all have with the land.”
“Desertification tells us that we have not exercised good land management,”
said Faqeeha, who will take a prominent role assisting the Cop president
designate, the Saudi environment and water minister, Abdulrahman al-Fadley. “We
need to take a comprehensive view. Land degradation is universal. More than 2bn
hectares globally are degraded. Already, 55% of countries report land
degradation, and there is not enough reporting … The cost of land degradation
is a staggering $6tn a year.”
On current trends, he warned, the amount of land affected could triple by 2050,
without strong action to restore fertility and prevent land from being
over-exploited.
The impacts can be felt not just on the loss of species, but also on human
nutrition, he added. Children eating the same amount of food now as a few
decades ago are receiving far fewer of the vital nutrients they need, because
degraded soils produce food with less nutritional value."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
