Land degradation affects up to 40% of the world’s land area, resulting in the loss of 100 million hectares of healthy land each year – an area the size of Egypt. Droughts are up 29% since 2000, driven by climate change but also the way we manage our land. These are relevant data presented by the United Nations on Desertification and Drought Day 2024.
Projects like Germ of Life want to contribute to better facing this challenge. Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of all land area worldwide already considered degraded. And are major drivers of conflict and forced migration.
Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95% of our food but so much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides jobs and livelihoods, and protects us from the worsening droughts, floods and wildfires. Yet, every second, an equivalent of four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded.
We recommend watching the full video of the main event of the Desertification and Drought Day 2024 that was hosted by the Government of Germany with United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Together with the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the City of Bonn, that has been home to the UNCCD Secretariat since 1999.
The global observance event at the Bundeskunsthalle united young changemakers from around the world who are working to restore land, boost resilience to drought, develop sustainable agricultural businesses, and harness technology and innovation to tackle global environmental challenges.
