Dr. Arvind Kumar*
When the world is battling the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss there is another silent crisis marring our land ecosystems that is desertification. While the term may bring to mind the windswept sand dunes of the Sahara or the vast salt pans of the Kalahari, it’s an issue that reaches far beyond those living in and around the world’s deserts, threatening the food security and livelihoods of more than two billion people. The combined impact of climate change, land mismanagement and unsustainable freshwater use has seen the world’s water-scarce regions increasingly degraded. This leaves their soils less able to support crops, livestock and wildlife. Climate change is one of a number of variables that are considered to contribute towards desertification. Land degradation through human activities is undermining the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people. Land degradation through human activities is pushing the planet towards a sixth mass species extinction. Less than one quarter of the Earth’s land surface remains free from substantial human impacts. By 2050 it is estimated that this will drop to less than 10%.Land degradation is a major contributor to climate change, and climate change is foreseen as a leading driver of biodiversity loss. By 2050, land degradation and climate change will reduce crop yields by an average of 10% globally, and up to 50% in certain regions. Land degradation generally increases the number of people exposed to hazardous air, water and land pollution, particularly in developing countries. The benefits of land restoration are 10 times higher than the costs (estimated across nine different biomes).
Desertification is land degradation in dry-lands, resulting from various factors, including both climatic variations and human activities. While in previous years, dry-lands recovered easily following long droughts and dry periods, more recently they have tended to lose their biological and economic productivity quickly unless they are sustainably managed. Consequently, dry-lands on every continent are now being degraded by over-cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices. Such overexploitation is generally caused by economic, environmental and social pressures. When land is degraded, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere, along with nitrous oxide, making land degradation one of the biggest contributors to climate change.
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An estimated two-thirds of all terrestrial carbon stores from soils and vegetation have been lost since the 19th century through land degradation. Agriculture, forest and other land-use sectors generate roughly a quarter of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Recent estimates of the global loss of ecosystem services due to land degradation and desertification are between US$ 6.3 and 10.6 trillion annually. These high costs have not received adequate attention, partly due to the complexity of accurately measuring the knock-on effects and externalities of land degradation. There is a tendency by countries to only consider the impact on food production and to overlook ecosystem services such as water supply and regulation or reduction in carbon sequestration.
The principle global driver of land degradation is the expansion and unsustainable management of agriculture, fueled by unprecedented levels of consumption in an increasingly globalized economy. This causes significant loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as food security, water purification and the provision of energy. Managing land sustainably means less carbon emissions and more carbon capture. Soil organic carbon contributes to the fertility of the soil and to its capacity to hold water, and therefore to a large extent determines the capacity of the soil to produce food and to support other biodiversity. The resilience of societies and ecosystems is increased where soil productivity, and hence carbon stock, is increased. Land degradation manifests itself in many ways: land abandonment, declining populations of wild species, loss of soil and soil health, reduction of rangelands and fresh water, and deforestation. The consequences cost the equivalent of about 10% of the world’s annual gross product in 2010, through the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Based on the desertification and land degradation Atlas of India released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), around 30% of India’s land is now degraded. While this might sound like a number on the lower scale, it is important to consider that the majority of the degraded land is either rainfed farmland or forest land. More than half of the agricultural land in India is rainfed land, directly responsible for the country’s food security. Therefore, any mismanagement of these pieces of land is bound to severely impact India’s already low food security index, which, if we consider India’s population, means millions are left hungry; leaving the country more vulnerable to conflicts arising in such situations.
The IPBES report finds that land degradation is a major contributor to climate change, with deforestation alone contributing about 10% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Another major driver of the changing climate has been the release of carbon previously stored in the soil, with land degradation between 2000 and 2009 responsible for annual global emissions of up to 4.4 billion tonnes of CO2. Given the importance of soil’s carbon absorption and storage functions, the avoidance, reduction and reversal of land degradation could provide more than a third of the most cost-effective greenhouse gas mitigation activities needed by 2030 to keep global warming under the 2°C threshold targeted in the Paris Agreement on climate change, increase food and water security, and contribute to the avoidance of conflict and migration.
Way Ahead
Risk management can enhance communities’ resilience to extreme events, which has an impact on food systems. This can be the result of dietary changes or ensuring a variety of crops to prevent further land degradation and increase resilience to extreme or varying weather. Reducing inequalities, improving incomes, and ensuring equitable access to food so that some regions where land cannot provide adequate food are not disadvantaged, are other ways to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. There are also methods to manage and share risks, some of which are already available, such as early warning systems. An overall focus on sustainability coupled with early action offers the best chances to tackle climate change. This would entail low population growth and reduced inequalities, improved nutrition and lower food waste. This could enable a more resilient food system and make more land available for bioenergy, while still protecting forests and natural ecosystems.
However, without early action in these areas, more land would be required for bioenergy, leading to challenging decisions about future land-use and food security. To arrest and reverse desertification and deforestation cover a wide range of sectors — from crop and livestock production to water resource management. The choices we make about sustainable land management can help reduce and, in some cases, reverse these adverse impacts. In a future with more intensive rainfall the risk of soil erosion on croplands increases, and sustainable land management is a way to protect communities from the detrimental impacts of this soil erosion and landslides. However, there are limits to what can be done, so in other cases degradation might be irreversible. The protection of forests and the reduction of forest degradation is a mitigation option with a high potential in terms of environmental and social benefits. The increase in organic matter of soils increases the storage capacity of atmospheric CO2 (mitigation), improving the water retention capacity of soils (adaptation). A comprehensive and holistic approach is essential, prioritizing sustainable land use policies, balanced fertilizer utilization, and proactive environmental practices. By recognizing the inextricable link between land degradation and national security, we have to pave the way for a resilient and prosperous future, safeguarding its people from hunger, conflicts, and instability. The time to act is now, and we must rise to the challenge of securing its land and ensuring a sustainable future.
*Editor, Focus Global reporter
