Due to climate change, some regions experience catastrophic flooding likened to water bombs, while others suffer from desertification and drying. This trend is expected to continue, and experts predict South Korea will not be exempt from its effects.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) presented data on the expansion of arid zones over the past 30 years, from 1990 to 2020, during the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
According to the report, arid zones expanded by 4.3 million square kilometers during this period. This area is larger than India, which spans 3.28 million square kilometers and is comparable to the size of the European Union.
Unlike droughts, which are temporary periods of low rainfall, arid zones undergo irreversible changes.
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, explained that while droughts eventually end, a region’s climate becoming arid leads to a permanent loss of its ability to return to its previous state. He emphasized that this study is the first to scientifically document the dryland crisis, highlighting it as an existential threat impacting billions of people globally.
The report identified climate change as the primary cause of this arid zone expansion. The trend has been particularly pronounced in Europe, parts of the western United States, Brazil, Central Africa, and East Asia.
Large-scale desertification and land degradation lead to food shortages and water scarcity, which in turn trigger mass migrations and refugee crises, potentially causing political conflicts in affected regions. Millions of people worldwide have already been displaced by these conditions.
Desertification has already impacted 40% of the world’s arable land and is estimated to have caused economic losses equivalent to 12% of Africa’s GDP.
The report warns that if climate change remains uncontrolled, up to 5 billion people could live in arid zones by the end of this century.
The soil cannot retain moisture in arid regions, leading to frequent sand and dust storms.
The report highlighted a massive sandstorm in Mongolia in 2021 that significantly degraded air quality in South Korea, China, and Japan. In Mongolia alone, this event resulted in 10 fatalities and the disappearance of 1.6 million livestock.
China currently has the most significant area affected by increasing dryness, suggesting that neighboring countries like South Korea may face escalating related damages.
Nichole Barger, Chair of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface, emphasized that billions could face a future of hunger, displacement, and economic losses without collaboration. She highlighted that humanity has the ability to address this issue through global solidarity but questioned whether there is a willingness to take action.