

Newsletter of the
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM
Volume 27, Number 1 --- 15 January 2025
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Website: iefworld.org
Article submission: newsletter@iefworld.org Deadline next issue 10 February 2025
Secretariat Email: ief@iefworld.org Christine Muller General Secretary
Postal address: 12B Chemin de Maisonneuve, CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Download the easier to read pdf version
From the Editor, Request for information for upcoming newsletters
This newsletter is an opportunity for IEF members to share their experiences, activities, and initiatives that are taking place at the community level on environment, climate change and sustainability. All members are welcome to contribute information about related activities, upcoming conferences, news from like-minded organizations, recommended websites, book reviews, etc. Please send information to newsletter@iefworld.org.
Please share the Leaves newsletter and IEF membership information with family, friends and associates, and encourage interested persons to consider becoming a member of the IEF.
IEF Matters
Welcome to our new Members and Associates:
Member
Jorge Conte (Panama)
Associates
Dr. Sakshi Arora (India)
Cheryl Winchell (USA)
Salahuddeen Mohammed, Shitu (Nigeria)
Miriam Kurland (USA)
Letâs spread the word about the International Environment Forum!
The IEF is a hidden treasure! Letâs tell the world about it!
You are welcome to use the slides which IEF secretary Christine Muller prepared for the Ottawa Environmental CafĂ© a few weeks ago. The topic was The International Environment Forum: Applying Scientific Knowledge and Spiritual Values in Addressing the Environmental Crisis. After the presentation there was a lively conversation. People were very interested in the IEF! Since then, Christine adapted the presentation for general use. You can customize it according to the interests of your audience and the time available, for example you could shorten it by deleting slides 4 â 19). You can download the slides as pdf or as pptx. A recording of the 27 min. presentation is here.
Any question? Write to ief@iefworld.org.
IPBES Transformative Change Assessment
The new Transformative Change Report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns that deep, fundamental shifts in how people view and interact with the natural world are urgently needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and safeguard life on Earth.
Prof. Karen OâBrien (Norway/USA), co-chair of the assessment said:
âTransformative change for a just and sustainable world is urgent because there is a closing window of opportunity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to prevent triggering the potentially irreversible decline and the projected collapse of key ecosystem functions. âUnder current trends, there is a serious risk of crossing several irreversible biophysical tipping points including die-off of low altitude coral reefs, die back of the Amazon rainforest, and loss of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. Transformative change is also necessary because most previous and current approaches to conservation, which aim to reform rather than transform systems, have failed to halt or reverse the decline of nature around the world, which has serious repercussions for the global economy and human well-being.â
The report defines transformative change as fundamental system-wide shifts in views â ways of thinking, knowing and seeing; structures â ways of organizing, regulating and governing; and practices â ways of doing, behaving and relating. Current dominant configurations of views, structures and practices perpetuate and reinforce the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and natureâs decline. Transforming them is central to delivering on the global commitments for a just and sustainable world.
This scientific assessment corresponds completely to the BahĂĄ'Ă principles and vision of the path to a just and sustainable future. IEF President Arthur Dahl compiled Bahaâi texts following the outline of the assessment's Summary for Policymakers.
For a summary of the report, go here: https://iefworld.org/IPBEStransformative
For the BahĂĄâĂ compilation based on the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, go here: https://iefworld.org/TransformativeChange_comp
For a presentation combining the assessment outline and the relevant BahĂĄ'Ă texts, go here: https://iefworld.org/fl/yDiscourse_Transformation.pdf
Summary for Policymakers: https://ipbes.canto.de/v/IPBES11Media/album/ROLPU
SOURCE: https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change/media-release
Reasons for Hope
[Humanitiyâs] present state, indeed even its immediate future, is dark, distressingly dark. Its distant future, however, is radiant, gloriously radiantâso radiant that no eye can visualize it. - Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day Is Come
Jane Goodall who is well known for her important work with chimpanzees wrote a book* explaining why she still has hope for the future of humanity despite ominous scientific predictions about the climate and the Earthâs natural systems on which we all depend.
She gave four reasons for her hope:
Reason 1: The Amazing Human Intellect
âEven though chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, can perform super well at all kinds of intelligence tests, even the brightest chimpanzee could not design that rocket from which crept a robot that was programmed to crawl around the surface of the Red Planet â Mars â taking photos for scientists on Earth to study. Humans have done such incredible things âŠâ (p. 45)
Reason 2: The Resilience of Nature
âThere is a kind of built-in resilience â as when spring brings forth leaves after a bitter winter of snow and ice, or the desert blooms after even a tiny amount of rain falls. And there are seeds that can germinate after lying dormant for many years. They contain that tiny spark of life waiting for the right conditions to release its power. Itâs what Albert Schweitzer â one of my heroes â called the will to live.â (p. 80)
Reason 3: The Power of Young People
âIt actually makes me angry when people say it will be up to young people to solve [humanityâs problems]. Of course, we canât and shouldnât expect them to solve all our problems. Weâve got to support them. And I truly believe the young people of today are rising to the challenge in a most remarkable way. Once they understand the problems and are empowered to take action â well, they are changing the world as we speak.â (p. 127)
Reason 4: The Indomitable Human Spirit
After sharing stories of societies and individuals that have overcome huge obstacles, the interviewer asked Jane: âBut when it comes to the grim environmental situation we face today, do you think we could all come together and use this same energy and determination to tackle climate change and loss of biodiversity?â
Jane responded: âThere is no doubt in my mind that we could. The trouble is that not enough people realize the magnitude of the danger we are facing â a danger that threatens to utterly destroy the world. How do we get people to heed the dire warnings of the people on the ground who have been fighting this danger for so long? How do we get them to take action?â (p. 159) Jane Goodall then explains that this is the reason why she has travelled around the world âtrying to wake people up, make them aware of the danger, yet at the same time assure everyone there is a window of time when our actions can start healing the harm we have inflicted.â (p. 159)
Dear reader, you are invited to share your views about Jane Goodallâs reasons for hope as well as any thoughts they may have triggered. What are your reasons for hope? What are some Bahaâi perspectives about the topics raised? What are you practically doing that may inspire others for similar actions and provide hope?
If possible, your comments will be incorporated into next monthâs Sustainable Living Conversation. Please, send them to cmuller@wilmetteinstitute.org within the next two weeks.
* The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams
SOURCE: Wilmette Institute January 2025 Newsletter, Sustainable Living Conversation
Climate Change and Goals for the Next 10 Years
By IEF Member Rafael Amaral Shayani, Professor of "Engineering and Climate Change" at University of BrasĂlia
Although it seems that nations have been advancing in the dialogue on climate change, actions have remained practically stagnant due to governmental use of outdated paradigms. The practice of setting goals to be achieved only in the next 10 years may have seemed positive, but it merely reduced the urgency of the moment.
Climate change has been denied for a long time, and when science predicted that global warming would drastically affect our way of life, governments still considered it a problem for future generations to deal with, thereby allowing short-term actions to be postponed.
However, climate change has knocked on the planet's door and entered without delay. Extreme weather events have become more common, causing both material damage and loss of life. Despite this, countries have insisted on the view that only long-term actions would be sufficient.
For example, climate financing, the main focus of COP29, was conceived in 2009 during COP15 in Copenhagen and designed to start 10 years later. This did not happen with debate on this matter continuing today. It has been very convenient to present vague goals of zero emissions for 2050, which would be a date when most politicians have retired and would not be accountable for the promised results. As of today, Brazil itself has failed to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2025, which were promised 10 years ago in the Paris Agreement. In the meantime, at COP29 Brazil presented an even more ambitious target of a 67% reduction in emissions by 2035 (about 10 years from now).
One aspect of greenhouse gas emissions, that could have extremely serious consequences, has not caused any concerns yet. Even if zero emissions targets for 2050 were set today and achieved (though current indications have not reflected this possibility), extreme weather events are projected to worsen year after year until 2050. Thus, even with lower emissions, greenhouse gases would be continuously released into the atmosphere causing an increase in the planet's average temperature. This would require immediate action for drastic emission reductions and not promises for 10 years from now.
Another aspect that would neutralize any action of many countries would be the traditional view that emission reductions impact economic growth--something undesirable for all governments. In speeches, many have supported the ideal of product reuse and recycling, but in practice, the stimulus has been for society to increase consumption to generate economic growth and jobs. If people reused and recycled more, they would buy fewer goods which could cool down the economy. Thus, governments have not encouraged setting or meeting these goals.
It is not enough to just discuss climate financing. The current way of life demands more from the planet than it can support. If there is no change in the mindset of the people, technology with its clean energy systems, will not be able to solve the whole problem. Unbridled consumerism needs to give way to moderation, where a more cooperative society will consume fewer goods, generate less waste, and create new markets, especially in recycling; thereby making the circular economy generate new jobs.
Global citizenship is necessary to address climate change. As long as countries continue to compare their emissions with those of China and the United States, they will always find a justification not to take the necessary measures to reduce their own emissions. It is as if a student scored 3 on a test worth 10 and boasted about doing better than the students who scored 1 on the same test.
Nevertheless, not everything is negative. Climate change has created a conducive environment for nations to come together, year after year, and think of the Earth as one country and mankind its citizens. This tremendous climate challenge facing humanity enables the world to take a step forward towards global unity, which is also essential in addressing various other global ills, such as hunger and poverty. This is the opportunity that presents itself to governments: to rethink the world thereby promoting justice, peace, and unity!
Climate Change and a Just Transition
UNRISD 2024
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) has published in November 2024 âReducing Inequalities in Development Policy and Practice: Climate Change and Just Transitionâ, as one of its sectoral guidance notes for reducing inequalities.
It discusses the three dimensions of sustainable development and their interlinkages, the links between climate change and inequality, key types of climate policy for mitigation and adaptation, political economy considerations, and key recommendations for influencing climate policy and a just transition. The following is a summary of some of the key points.
Climate change, environmental destruction and biodiversity loss have significant impacts on livelihoods, health and productivity. Climate change magnifies existing inequalities, both within and between countries. Within countries, populations at greater risk of adverse effects include disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, some Indigenous peoples, and local communities dependent on agricultural or coastal livelihoods, whereas regions at higher risk include Arctic ecosystems, dryland regions, small island developing states, and Least Developed Countries. Economic inequalities between the worldâs richest and poorest nations have reportedly widened by 25 percent due to global warming.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation offer the possibility to reduce inequalities when policy foregrounds the needs and perspectives of low-income and vulnerable groups and places. Climate change unduly affects vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing social disparities, since extreme weather events, natural disasters and resource scarcity, often hit marginalized communities the hardest.
The concept of just transition, which lies at the heart of equitable climate change policy, acknowledges the potential adverse socio-economic impacts the move away from fossil fuels can have if not well managed. When done well, a just transition can accelerate much needed decarbonization while tackling root causes of injustice and challenging systems of exclusion and discrimination. By pivoting toward green sectors, countries can transition toward sustainable economies that benefit a wider populace, particularly underserved communities.
Inclusive economic development strategies that prioritize access to these emerging sectors, alongside the âgreeningâ of traditional sectors, can bridge socio-economic divisions, thereby reducing inequality. By tackling concentrations of power and wealth, they not only have the potential to diminish the influence of entrenched interests that benefit from the status quo but also to amplify the voices and interests of the marginalized communities who are most affected by climate change.
Climate justice involves envisioning fundamentally different futures rooted in social and solidarity economies which tackle different dimensions of existing injustices and inequalities together, emphasizing principles such as mutual aid, voluntary cooperation and democratic decision making, in contrast to the individualism underlying market economies. These principles find expression in new economic models that are based on the primacy of people and social purpose in the distribution and use of profits.
There is much more on specific policies and recommendations in the full guidance note linked below.
SOURCE: https://cdn.unrisd.org/assets/library/papers/pdf-files/2024/2024-sectorâŠ
International Court of Justice
advisory opinion on climate change
Submissions 2024
On 29 March 2023, the UN General Assembly requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to provide an Advisory Opinion on States' obligations regarding climate change. The ICJ has now, for the first time in history, the mandate to clarify the legal obligations of States with regard to climate change under multiple sources of international law.
An unprecedented number of States and international organizations have participated in the proceedings, with the Court receiving a record 91 initial written submissions and 62 in the subsequent comments phase, when States and international organizations that provided initial input could comment on one anotherâs written statements. Following the completion of the written phase, the Court held two weeks of oral hearings, from 2 to 13 December 2024, in which a record ninety-six States and eleven international organizations participated.
The hearings raised key legal issues central to climate justice, including but not at all limited to:
- law governing State obligations in relation to climate change;
- equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities;
- human rights of present and future generations, in particular, the right to self-determination and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment;
- duty to prevent transboundary harm;
- legal consequences comprising of cessation of climate-destructive conduct guarantees of non-repetition and the provision of full reparation;
- State responsibility for cumulative present and historical emissions;
- the right to remedy and reparations;
- effective regulation of corporate conduct exacerbating the climate crisis;
- the equitable phase out of fossil fuels.
Cristelle Pratt, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) made the following succinct summary of the oral hearings:
âDespite the overwhelming consensus that the relevant conduct is unlawful, a small minority of participants have had the audacity to double down on the limb of their innocence. They have done this in two ways. First, they have argued that the legal question being asked to the court is strictly forward-looking in nature and does not concern itself with historical emissions.
âSecond, they have argued that the only legal obligations binding on them do not, in fact, require them to account for their historical emissions, including by reparations, let alone oblige them to stop emitting beyond their pitiful privileges. In essence, these states have invited the court to absolve them of a moral responsibility.â
At the close of the oral hearings, four judges posed what might be some of the most consequential questions ever addressed by the Court, shedding light on the pressing legal issues at the heart of these proceedings. These questions touch upon the critical intersection of customary international law, the law of treaties, the UN climate change regime, and human rights.
The questions related to:
- Statesâ legal obligations under international law with regards to fossil fuels production under their jurisdiction (question by Judge đșđž CLEVELAND)
- Whether the object and purpose of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement have any legal effect regarding the determination of whether Article 4 of the Paris Agreement (Nationally Determined Contributions) provides only an obligation of conduct or also one of result (question by Judge đżđŠ TLADI),
- The legal content of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and its relation with the other human rights which States have considered relevant for this advisory opinion (question by Judge đ·đŽ AURESCU)
- The legal significance of the declarations made by some States on becoming parties to the UN climate agreements to the effect that these agreements may not be interpreted as derogating from principles of general international law or any claims or rights concerning compensation or liability (question by Judge đŠđș CHARLESWORTH).
States and Intergovernmental Organizations that participated in the proceedings have until 20 December 2024 to submit their responses. This marks the final opportunity for them to provide crucial legal information to the 15 ICJ judges, shaping what will be a landmark advisory opinion (SĂ©bastien Duyck).
The court will need to address the following legal questions raised in the presentations:
- What international law governs State obligations in relation to climate change?
- What binding obligations do the climate treaties contain?
- Does the long-standing duty to prevent significant transboundary environmental harm apply to GHG emissions and climate change?
- Does international human rights law impose obligations on States in relation to climate change and GHG emissions?
- Do legal rights and corresponding obligations extend to future generations?
- What are Statesâ international legal obligations regarding fossil fuels â the primary cause of climate change?
- When did States know about the causes and foreseeable consequences of climate change, and what does this mean in terms of legal obligations?
- Can the harmful consequences of climate change on States, Peoples, or individuals be attributed to the conduct of a particular State or States?
- Does conduct causing climate harm trigger legal consequences (cessation, guarantees of non-repetition and reparations)?
A decision from the ICJ is expected in 2025.
SOURCES: Worldâs Youth for Climate Justice https://www.wy4cj.org/
SĂ©bastien Duyck 14 Dec 2024 on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:727361018486900736âŠ
Corals on the Edge
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, announced at the Climate COP in Baku on 13 November 2024, shows that 44 percent of reef building coral species globally are threatened with extinction. This was based on an assessment of the conservation status of 892 warm-water reef-building coral species. Climate change is the main threat, along with pollution, agricultural runoff, disease and unsustainable fishing. Severe coral bleaching events have been reported around the world.
For example, Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) are two Critically Endangered species in the Caribbean that have experienced significant declines due to increased warming, water pollution, hurricanes and the severe impacts of coral diseases. When I was working on reefs in the Caribbean in the 1970s, they were the most common and important reef-building corals.
To save corals from extinction, we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, accompanied by actions to address other threats, and to strengthen speciesâ resilience. Selecting and protecting the most heat-adapted corals, as IEF member Austin Bowden-Kerby is doing in Fiji, may help, as will research to see if corals can adapt.
Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth
based on Fiona Harvey, Environment editor
The Guardian
9 December 2024
An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland â arid areas where agriculture is difficult â in the past three decades, research has found.
Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the worldâs land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations.
Africa lost about 12% of its GDP owing to the increasing aridity between 1990 and 2015, the report found. Even worse losses are forecast: Africa will lose about 16% of its GDP, and Asia close to 7%, in the next half decade.
Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said: âUnlike droughts â temporary periods of low rainfall â aridity represents a permanent, unrelenting transformation.
âDroughts end. When an areaâs climate becomes drier, however, the ability to return to previous conditions is lost. The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were, and this change is redefining life on Earth.â
Some crops will be particularly at risk: maize yields are projected to halve in Kenya by 2050, if current trends continue. Drylands are areas where 90% of the rainfall is lost to evaporation, leaving only 10% for vegetation. Two-thirds of land globally will store less water by mid-century.
The worldâs water problems are fast growing more acute as a result of global failure to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN SPI (science-policy interface) study, as of 2020, about 30% of the population â 2.3 billion people globally â lived in drylands, up from about 22.5% in 1990.
By 2100, this is projected to double, if too little is done to reduce carbon emissions. Nearly half of Africaâs people already live in drylands.
Barron Orr, chief scientist at UNCCD, said: âFor the first time, a UN scientific body is warning that burning fossil fuels is causing permanent drying across much of the world, with potentially catastrophic impacts affecting access to water that could push people and nature even closer to disastrous tipping points.â
Climate breakdown is âinextricably linkedâ to the worldâs water crisis, multiple studies have shown, but poor farming practices, overextraction of water, the erosion of soil and destruction of natural vegetation are also factors.
Praveena Sridhar, chief technical officer of the Save Soil campaign group, said: âHealthy soils are the foundation of life. Drying lands signify degraded soils, and the cause is clear: human activity.
âIntensive agriculture is the leading driver of land and soil degradation, fuelling biodiversity loss, carbon sequestration decline, and worsening floods, droughts and wildfires â issues rapidly increasing across the globe.â
Experts called on governments to act. Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science at University College London, who was not involved with the study, warned: âThis is the land we rely on to produce food. [This] is not only a warning but a call to politicians that there are solutions.
âFirst: we can curb greenhouse gas emissions, which will reduce climate change and global aridification. Second, we can acknowledge the world is drying and take measures to slow it down and to adapt to it.
âWe now have so many solutions: sustainable agriculture, water management, reforestation and rewilding to education and awareness building. Ultimately good local and national governance is required to deal with the desertification of our precious life-giving planet.â
Kate Gannon, research fellow at the Grantham Institute, London School of Economics, told the Guardian: âRising aridity deepens poverty, forces over-exploitation of fragile resources and accelerates land degradation, creating a vicious cycle of resource scarcity, water insecurity and diminished agricultural potential.
âThese communities, with the least capacity to adapt, face dire consequences to health, nutrition and wellbeing from risks of food shortages, displacement, and forced migration. This is not only a profound injustice, but also a global challenge.â
SOURCE: based on https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/09/drylands-now-make-uâŠ
Land Degradation Threatens Food Supplies
Convention to Combat Desertification
UNCCD COP16
December 2024
FAO on Salt in Soil
After two weeks of intense negotiations on how to tackle land degradation, desertification and drought, the largest and most inclusive United Nations land conference wrapped up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The nearly 200 countries convening at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) committed to prioritize land restoration and drought resilience in national policies and international cooperation as an essential strategy for food security and climate adaptation. Nations also made significant progress in laying the groundwork for a future global drought regime, which they intend to complete at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026. In the meanwhile, more than USD 12 billion were pledged to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought around the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries.
UNCCD estimates that at least USD 2.6 trillion in total investments are needed by 2030 to restore more than one billion hectares of degraded land and build resilience to drought. This equals USD 1 billion in daily investments between now and 2030 to meet global land restoration targets and combat desertification and drought.
The conference acknowledged a significant shift in the global approach to land and drought issues, highlighting the interconnected challenges with broader global issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, forced migration, and global stability.
Greater voice for Indigenous Peoples and other non-state actors
In a landmark decision, Parties requested the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities. The objective is to ensure that their unique perspectives and priorities are adequately represented in the work of the Convention. The declaration âSacred Landsâ, presented during the inaugural Indigenous Peoplesâ Forum, underscored the role of Indigenous Peoples in sustainable resource management and called for greater involvement in global land and drought governance, including through participation in land restoration efforts.
Acknowledging the role of science as the foundation for sound policies, the Parties agreed on the continuation of UNCCDâs Science-Policy Interface (SPI) to translate scientific findings into recommendations for decision-makers. The SPI presented definitive evidence that three quarters of the Earthâs ice-free surface have become permanently drier in the past 30 years, with a predicted five billion people living in drylands by 2100, showing the urgency to take action.
Some 77.6% of Earthâs land has experienced drier conditions since the 1990s compared to the previous 30-year period. Over the same period, drylands â an arid area with low rainfallâ expanded by about 4.3 million km2 equal to an area nearly a third larger than India, the worldâs 7th largest country. Drylands now cover 40.6% of all land on Earth excluding Antarctica. In addition, agriculture accounts for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, and 70% of freshwater use. Droughts affect the livelihoods of 1.8 billion people worldwide, pushing already vulnerable communities to the brink. They also cost an estimated USD 300 billion per year, threatening key economic sectors such as agriculture, energy and water.
Rangeland ecosystems cover half of the Earthâs terrestrial surface and are the dominant land use in the worldâs drylands, but have long been overlooked and are disappearing faster than rainforests. The degradation of rangelands threatens one-sixth of global food supplies, potentially depleting one-third of the Earth's carbon reserves. Some two billion people who live in pastoral areas are among the worldâs most vulnerable in the face of desertification, land degradation and drought.
Global food production at increased risk from excess salt in soil
The extent of the worldâs land affected by excess salt is set to increase rapidly with potentially devastating impacts on food production. About 1.4bn hectares (3.4bn acres), amounting to 10% of global land, is affected by salinity, with a further 1bn hectares classed as âat riskâ, a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has found.
This is already having a serious impact on agriculture, as globally about a tenth of irrigated cropland and a similar proportion of rain-fed cropland is afflicted by excess salt. The potential losses to crop yields are as high as 70% in some cases.
Some of the worldâs largest and most populous countries are particularly badly hit, including China and the US, Russia, Australia and Argentina. The central Asian region is also a hotspot, with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan badly affected, while Iran and Sudan also rank among the countries suffering the worst effects. These 10 countries account for 70% of salt-affected soils globally.
Climate breakdown and poor agricultural practices are to blame. As temperatures rise, the extent of salt-affected soils is likely to increase to between a quarter and a third of all land by the end of this century, if current trends are not arrested.
While some salts are needed for crops, excess salinity reduces soil fertility. Too much salt absorbs water, making less available for uptake by plants. The salt also changes the physical structure of soil, causing it to clump together, and makes it more vulnerable to erosion.
Water scarcity, poor drainage, and overexploitation of the soil are key factors behind the increase in salinity. Sea level rises will exacerbate this, with the incursion of saltwater into coastal areas.
Farmers are often driven to poor practice by the pressure to increase short-term yields, which is creating longer-term problems. Global water use has increased by a factor of six in the last century, and this overexploitation of aquifers for irrigation is driving groundwater salinisation. Farmers are also irrigating crops with poor quality or salty water, pumping water excessively to feed their crops, and overusing chemical fertilisers. Removing deep-rooted vegetation, including trees, can also increase soil salinity.
The FAO found that, along with tackling the climate crisis, the best ways of restoring the fertility of soils were through a mix of traditional techniques such as mulching, interlayering soils with loose material, and improving crop rotations, and innovations including developing salt-resistant crops, and the use of bacteria, fungi and plants that remove or sequester salts. Regenerative farming practices, that focus on natural soil fertility, could also play a role.
Rising global temperatures and increasing pressure on agriculture are leading to the drying out of land around the world. Along with increasing salinity and declining soil fertility, these factors are combining to create unprecedented threats to food production.
SOURCES: https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/united-nations-conferâŠ
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/11/global-food-productâŠ
Harnessing science to tackle global crises
The Fifth Element
22 October 2024
Our world faces a convergence of complex, interconnected challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss, armed conflicts, rising inequality, and mass migrations of humans and animals are combining to create a global polycrisis. The wealth of scientific knowledge that humanity possesses could be a true asset in effectively addressing these challenges, however, the true potential of science remains untapped at the time we need it the most.
In a paper published in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, an international team of researchers looked at how science could play a more active role in managing crises. The paper builds on the outcomes of the international conference âWhat Role for Science in Crisis Times? Outlook in the Health, Environment, and Agriculture Interconnected Areasâ, held in Montpellier in 2022.
To enhance scienceâs contribution to crisis management, the paper emphasises the need for interdisciplinarity, where science is integrated across disciplines, and transdisciplinarity, which incorporates various societal actors and stakeholders. By co-designing and co-producing solutions with scientists, policymakers and affected populations, transdisciplinary science can contribute to integrated and cooperative decision-making.
âWe are now living in a polycrisis world, where science should be playing a more engaged and active role,â says Paul Shrivastava, Co-President of The Club of Rome, Professor of Management & Organizations, The Pennsylvania State University and the lead author of the paper. âIt should be more fluid, timely, and integrated with social and political decision-making.â
The paper summarises the key actions to harness science to tackle crises, which include implementing interventions on both global and local scales, engaging the public, democratising science, adopting new governance frameworks, and integrating community engagement. It also highlights the importance of aligning science-based interventions with cultural norms and increasing engagement with countries suffering from unequal access to science.
The authors stress that the effort needs to come from both directionsâpolitical leaders need to proactively engage with scientists and rely on evidence-based solutions, while scientists need to seek access points to connect with crisis responders and affected populations. The latter could be encouraged by rewarding scientists for their real-world contributions within the academic system and increasing funding for research with a direct crisis impact.
âScience has identified the existential threats we face, but this knowledge is often ignored, contested, or slowly acted upon. Itâs time to flip the science model and mobilise significant resources for the benefit of people and the planet,â says Carlos Alvarez Pereira Secretary General of The Club of Rome and co-author of the study. âThat is why The Club of Rome and partners established the Earth-Humanity Coalition â a global network that encourages transformative research and action at all levels.â
This paper underscores the vital role of science in navigating crisis-ridden times and urges decision-makers to view scientific input as crucial for fostering sustainability and transformation. By harnessing the transformative power of science, transcending traditional boundaries, and cultivating collaborative solutions, we can chart a course towards a sustainable future in an equitable and healthy world for all.
REFERENCE: Shrivastava P, Jackson L, Ghneim-Herrera T, Caron P, Correa C, Alvarez Pereira C, et al. (2024) Science in crisis times: The crucial role of science in sustainability and transformation. PLOS Sustain Transform 3(10): e0000132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000132
SOURCE: https://thefifthelement.earth/news/harnessing-science-to-tackle-global-âŠ
Updated 15 January 2025