UN warns of desertification crisis

“Without proper action, both in developing and developed countries, some 50 million people could be displaced by desertification and land
degradation within the next ten years” the world conference on desertification, meeting in Turkey last week, was told.

The warning from Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification came at the close of the meeting at the weekend.
“The delegates here in Istanbul took a big stride to guide the next year’s ninth Conference of the Parties” [the decision making body of
the Convention], he told the representatives from 134 countries. “We are all on the same page. But it has to be remembered that without proper action by stakeholders, both in developing and developed countries, some 50 million people could be displaced by desertification and land degradation within the next ten years.”

People and Planet