International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

 

In 2024, the world will see the degradation of healthy land equivalent to four football fields every second! That’s 100 million hectares every year. Desertification, drought and land degradation are emerging as the most pressing environmental challenges for securing the future of our land.

The theme “United for the Land. Our Heritage. Our Future” emphasizes the need to address land management as the most precious resource “to ensure stability and prosperity for billions of people around the world.”

The German government, a signatory to the convention and one of its staunch supporters, is responsible for the activities associated with this 2024 edition of World Desertification and Drought Day.

Since 2000, the World Meteorological Organization has noted a 29% increase in the number and duration of droughts (2021) compared with the previous two decades.

More than 2.3 billion people suffer from the impacts of water stress. This represents almost 30% of the world’s population. According to forecasts, droughts could affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.

Consult the SNJM Water-Ecology Committee’s newsletter dedicated to this day to discover, in the form of video capsules, various situations and ways of taking action. It is available in English, Spanish and French.