90% of the world's land may be degraded, the United Nations warns: by 2050
UNESCO warned on July 1 that by 2050, 90% of the world's land may be degraded, posing a major risk to biodiversity and human life. The organization called on member states to strengthen land protection and restoration, and announced that it would take a number of actions to promote education and training to fill the knowledge gap in this field. A press release issued by UNESCO on the same day pointed out that healthy land is the basis for maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity, regulating climate, producing food and purifying water resources. However, the "World Desertification Atlas" released by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission shows that 75% of the world's land has been degraded, directly affecting 3.2 billion people; according to current trends, the proportion of land degradation will rise to 90% by 2050.
The communiqué said that experts and representatives from more than 30 UNESCO member states gathered in Agadir, Morocco, to hold an international conference on land issues. At the conference, Audrey Azoulay, the organization's director-general, called on the international community to make land issues a "priority" and said that the organization would help countries improve their understanding and train professionals with its 60 years of experience in the field of land science.
The communiqué said the meeting established an action plan centered around three major goals: improving land protection and restoration, filling gaps in scientific knowledge, and strengthening the participation of young people and communities through education and training programs.
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