An alarming report from the U.N. indicates that more than three-quarters of the planet's land has grown increasingly arid over the past decades. The research suggests that if the trend continues, many regions risk facing severe environmental consequences including sandstorms, wildfires, and food shortages.
U.N. Report Highlights Global Drying Crisis
U.N. Report Highlights Global Drying Crisis
A new U.N. study reveals that over 75% of Earth's land areas are experiencing increased dryness, largely due to human-driven climate change.
In a stark warning about the effects of climate change, a United Nations report has revealed that more than 75% of the Earth's land has become persistently drier in recent decades. The findings, delivered during a summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, label this shift as a “global, existential peril,” driven primarily by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases.
The report highlights a worrying trend where nearly one in three people now reside in areas experiencing moisture deprivation, a significant increase from one in five in 1990. Some of these moisture-scarce regions, including major agricultural producers like Argentina and Spain, are vital to global food supply chains. According to Narcisa Pricope, a land systems scientist at Mississippi State University and one of the report’s authors, places such as South Sudan are particularly susceptible to challenges like conflict and political instability due to worsening dry conditions.
Dr. Pricope cautioned that the current aridity crisis is not a distant issue; it is unfolding right now and will significantly impact future generations. The report’s urgency comes in the context of talks aiming to combat desertification, as world leaders begin to consider how to prevent more habitable areas from transforming into lifeless deserts. If immediate actions are not taken to curtail rising temperatures, the consequences could range from an increase in wildfires and dust storms to significant food shortages, exposing millions to food insecurity.
