Tag

Desertification

All articles tagged with #desertification

environment6 days ago•36 min saved

China's Great Green Wall Grows Fast, But Its Climate Promise Is Complex

China’s 66‑billion‑tree Great Green Wall across the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts has expanded forest cover and reduced dust, but a Geophysical Research Letters study finds planted forests grow canopy 66% faster than natural forests and about 4.6% faster when age‑matched, with the biggest gains around 30–40 years before tapering. While planted forests offer strong short‑term carbon uptake, natural forests provide longer‑term storage and resilience, raising questions about the wall’s long‑term climate impact and how these artificial forests should be accounted for in carbon models.

via Yahoo News New Zealand|

#carbon-sequestration #desertification #environment

environment2 months ago•18 min saved

Lab-grown cyanobacteria forge fertile soil from desert sand in under a year

Researchers in China use lab-grown cyanobacteria to form a biomass-rich crust on loose desert sand, binding grains together to create a thin, stable soil layer that reduces wind erosion, helps retain moisture, and concentrates nutrients to support seedling growth. Trials near the Taklamakan Desert show crusts stabilizing sand in about 10–16 months, potentially accelerating restoration from decades to years, though scaling faces challenges like protecting the crust from traffic and climate variability. The work, published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry and Geoderma, links desert control with longer-term plant-based restoration, but isn’t a stand-alone fix for desertification.

via Earth.com|

#cyanobacteria #desertification #ecological-restoration

environment3 months ago•16 min saved

Africa's Great Green Wall: A grand dream unraveling in the desert

An in-depth look at Africa's Great Green Wall shows a multi-country, multi-billion-dollar effort intended to halt desertification, but years of funding and planning have yielded minimal ecological benefits: by 2020 only about 4% of land was restored and by 2023 just 13% of pledged funds had been disbursed, with problems like poor planning, weak local participation, and fragmented financing limiting impact, though a few oases and farms offer temporary gains and some donors remain cautiously hopeful.

via NPR|

#desertification #environment #funding

environment4 months ago•16 min saved

Desert Sand to Fertile Soil in Months: Lab-Grown Microbes Build a Stable Crust

Scientists in China used lab-grown cyanobacteria to bind loose desert sand into a thin, stable crust within about 10–16 months, creating a surface that holds moisture and nutrients and supports seedling growth. This speeds desert restoration from decades to years and could reduce wind-driven erosion, but scaling the method beyond test plots faces challenges such as site selection, local microbe suitability, and protection from traffic; long-term monitoring is needed and crusts cannot solve problems like overgrazing or water mismanagement.

via Earth.com|

#cyanobacteria #desert-restoration #desertification

world4 months ago•43 min saved

Desert-Encircling Forests Turn Taklamakan into Carbon Sink, NASA-Caltech Reveal

China’s Green Great Wall around the Taklamakan Desert has grown about 66 billion trees since 1978, transforming barren land into a carbon sink and modestly lowering regional CO2 as NASA-Caltech satellite data show atmospheric carbon dropping from 416 to 413 ppm; the effort demonstrates the potential of large-scale tree planting to reclaim desert landscapes, though global CO2 remains high and land available for forests is limited.

via Good News Network|

#carbon-sequestration #desertification #green-great-wall

environment6 months ago•5 min saved

Hungary's Farmers Battle Desertification to Protect Water Resources

Farmers in Hungary's Great Hungarian Plain are combating desertification by using thermal spa overflow water to artificially flood land, aiming to raise groundwater levels and create microclimates to mitigate drought effects and promote vegetation growth amid increasing climate challenges.

via ABC News|

#climate-change #desertification #environment

environment6 months ago•5 min saved

China and Mongolia Fight Over Dust Storm Control

China and Mongolia are engaged in efforts to combat dust storms and desertification, with China sharing its expertise and Mongolia hosting a UN conference on the issue, amid concerns over environmental degradation, climate change, and territorial sensitivities.

via The Conversation|

#china #climate-change #desertification

environment1 year ago•2 min saved

China's Green Belt: A Global Model for Combating Desertification

China has completed a 1,800-mile tree belt around the Taklamakan Desert, known as the 'Green Great Wall,' after 46 years of effort. This project, part of the Three-North Shelterbelt initiative, aims to combat desertification and improve air quality by reducing dust storms. Despite challenges like tree die-offs and ecological concerns, the initiative has increased China's forest coverage to 25% and reduced the Gobi Desert's size. Future plans include planting orchards to boost local economies.

via Good News Network|

#china #desertification #environment

environment1 year ago•3 min saved

Global Land Drying: A Growing Crisis and Call to Action

A UN report warns that climate change has made 77.6% of Earth's land permanently drier over the past three decades, expanding drylands to cover 40.6% of the planet's land area. This trend threatens to affect up to five billion people by the century's end, leading to soil depletion, dwindling water resources, and ecosystem collapse. The report highlights the urgent need for global action to reduce carbon emissions, improve land and water management, and foster resilience to prevent widespread hunger, displacement, and economic decline.

via Livescience.com|

#climate-change #desertification #environment

environment2 years ago•5 min saved

"Microbial Warriors: How Soil Microorganisms Fight Desertification"

A new review of current research into combating desertification has identified soil microbes as critical to this mission, as they play vital roles in promoting soil health, impacting ecosystem functions, and supporting sustainable land management. The research highlights the potential of soil microbes to alleviate the stresses of desertification by improving soil fertility, encouraging carbon sequestration, stabilizing soil against erosion, and supporting biodiversity. Strategic application of soil microbes in various regions has shown measurable impacts on alleviating desertification, offering hope for more natural and sustainable management of this significant environmental challenge.

via Phys.org|

#biodiversity #climate-change #desertification

environment2 years ago•1 min saved

"Uncovering the Mystery of Desert Greenery"

The United Arab Emirates is leading the way in combating desertification and water scarcity by investing in green technology, including cloud seeding to enhance rainfall in the arid region. With approximately 80% of its land being desert, the country is making significant efforts to turn its arid landscapes green, despite receiving less than 200 mm of rainfall annually. This transformation is crucial in a region where 12 of the 17 most "water-stressed" countries are located, and the UAE's investments in cloud seeding research are a key part of this initiative.

via CNBC|

#cloud-seeding #desertification #environment