Desertification is not an issue that affects the UK

 This blog post is a response to an article by the Guardian and tries to answer the question: ‘Desertification is not an issue that affects the UK – discuss’



Source: Chris Madden

 Desertification is a worldwide issue and it is estimated that a third of the earth's land surface is at risk, while the lives of 850 million people are directly affected. In spite of this, there is little evidence to suggest that the UK will become a desert any time soon. Though there are no direct impacts of desertification on the country, there are many indirect ones. The impacts of desertification are a chain reaction in which land degradation on the other side of the world has widespread consequences.

 Experts estimate that 50 million people could be displaced due to desertification in the next ten years. These people will become environmental refugees who need housing elsewhere, many of whom will settle in the UK. This puts new strains on natural resources and the social fabric of nearby societies. This unsustainable movement of people could threaten international stability.

 The population of Africa is increasing, and is set to double every twenty four years, while food production in the region is falling; this means expensive international aid will be needed – these costs will be met in part by the UK tax payer. In the UK where the government is currently making substantial financial cuts, will this stall our economic recovery?

 Every year 6 million hectares of agricultural land are lost to land degradation. By 2050, experts suggest the world will need an additional 120 million hectares (an area the size of South Africa) of agricultural land to support the required food production. Each year we are losing valuable land to desertification which could be used to meet food production demands. This is leading to a rise in food prices and, since 2000, the prices of staples such as of meat, dairy, cereals and sugar have doubled; this is often the result of degrading land and expensive farming techniques such as the use of artificial fertilisers.

 Desertification reduces food security in UK and the rest of the world. Britain is not self-sufficient in food production; it imports 40% of the total food consumed and this proportion is rising. Environmental impacts such as desertification can cause food price spikes such as those seen around the world in 2008.

 In developing countries, efforts to increase agricultural production often leads to deforestation, a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. This only worsens the problem as deforested soils are very thin and become degraded within a few years.

 In my opinion, desertification in countries around the world does affect the UK. If we continue to lose land to desertification at the current rate, we can expect to see a rise in food prices, deforestation for cash crops and migration of people from countries at risk from desertification, to those that are not. It may be expensive, but halting land degradation is in everyone’s best interests, so we can reduce the impacts of desertification on our own lives and the lives of others.

 To read the full article by the Guardian that this blog post responds to visit: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/may/12/climate-change-expert-stern-displacement