Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-05-Speech-3-222"
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"en.20070905.22.3-222"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, my thanks go to Mr Ouzký and the others for an excellent motion for a resolution.
According to the United Nations, desertification now affects 100 to 200 million people directly. It is a potential threat for more than a billion, and possibly even as many as two billion, people. It is not just a matter of the Sahara spreading and such similar phenomena. Desertification, the disappearance of fertile layers of soil and vegetation, is taking place all around the world, from the coasts of Spain to the plains of China. Almost a third of the land area of the globe is at risk of desertification. As much as 40% of arable land is now in very poor condition. The situation is worst in Central Asia, where three-quarters of the soil is infertile.
Climate change is worsening desertification, although until now it has been mostly local activity which has affected it, such as logging and inappropriate farming, irrigation and cattle breeding methods. Whilst climate change is making desertification worse, desertification is aggravating climate change, because less carbon binding with the soil eventually results in the carbon being released into the atmosphere. Unless we act wisely, consistently and promptly, we may create a vicious circle.
Combating desertification entails the prevention of hunger and, through that, the prevention of conflict. Last June the UN warned that over the next 10 years desertification could drive 50 million people from their homes, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. This would also mean more people trying to enter Europe illegally.
The Darfur crisis has been described as the first climate change conflict. The water shortage is just one aspect of the crisis. It is more generally recognised that the prolonged water shortage and the decline in the land’s productivity have helped fuel conflict.
As stated in the resolution, there needs to be investment in sustainable land use. Measures to prevent desertification will be a lot cheaper than its consequences. A cautionary example on a small scale is the Easter Islands. There was a flourishing culture there at one time, but when the forests were cut down the soil became poor, the islands turned into dry grasslands, and a thriving culture collapsed in a short space of time. If we act wisely, consistently and determinedly, we can stop all humanity suffering the same fate."@en1
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