We already know that in a world being heated up by air pollution, dry climates get even drier and droughts get more severe. What you may not realize is that there can be long-term changes to the climate in a region and even the soil itself. That's a problem when we need the soil for farming, as CleanTechnica pointed out.
What's happening?
Recent findings from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification have revealed that much of the world's farmland is getting drier and saltier. Specifically, 77% of arable land in the world has undergone some degree of change in these areas in the last few decades, per the UNCCD's latest report.
Similarly, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently found that about 10% of the world's soils contain excess salt, with another 2.5 billion acres at risk. When there is less fresh water available in a region, residents may water crops with brackish water, adding to the level of salt in the soil.
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Definitely 👍 And 7.6% of the planet's land — an area larger than Canada — has changed dramatically between 1990 and 2020, CleanTechnica reported. Most of that went from humid land, suitable for growing, to drylands, where at least 90% of precipitation evaporates before hitting the ground. These newly arid areas house 30% of the global population.
Why is this drying out important?
As the land gets drier and saltier, it becomes less capable of sustaining crops and livestock. Plants need water for obvious reasons; and even if there is enough water, excess salt keeps plants from absorbing it. Salt also changes the structure of the soil, so it's more vulnerable to erosion.
All of this leads to a gradual, possibly irreversible, loss of suitable farmland — and there's a limited supply of it in the world. While some plants are adapted to drier and saltier conditions, our most important crops like wheat and soybeans are not among them — so those important crops will get rarer and more expensive.
What's worse, this process has already started even at current temperatures. The world is only getting hotter, which will accelerate the process.
Maria Konyushkova, a soil scientist at the FAO and lead author of its report, said: "All the trends show that the freshwater resources will be depleting … but we have so many approaches to adapt. We just need to start doing it right now, because it's already here. Even if governments don't always understand, it's already here, and deteriorating."
What's being done about deteriorating soil?
So far, wealthy nations worldwide have pledged $12 billion to address this problem. However, the UNCCD estimates that $4.6 trillion will be needed. Compared to the $23 trillion of damage to the world economy that will result by 2050 if this problem is not solved, that's a drop in the bucket — so hopefully the world will move forward with a cure.
Governments and other organizations are also on the ground, already trying to combat the slow march of the desert across green lands.
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