Unit 3.14, Exercise 4, Page 98.0:01
Deserts cover approximately one quarter of the Earth's land surface and are home to more than 500 million people in the world.0:28
They are also among the world's most important ecosystems and are filled with thousands of rare and useful animal and plant species.0:38
As many of the world's fragile environments are suffering because of climate change, it's not surprising that deserts are under threat too.0:48
In Iran's Dasht Ekavir desert, for example, rainfall has been dropping by 16% per decade.0:56
Reduced moisture and higher temperatures in areas that are already very dry means that animals struggle to survive.1:04
Crops fail, water reserves dry up, and as a result, life becomes generally more difficult for the people who live there.1:12
What is perhaps more surprising is that deserts are also expanding at an alarming rate as populations get bigger, especially in the areas of fragile land.1:22
At the edges of deserts, fields are over farmed and lose their nutrients.1:32
And more trees are cut down for firewood or to make space for development.1:37
This causes the soil to erode and become unusable, slowly but surely turning to desert.1:43
Damaging dust storms can also blow away soil and cause bone dry sand dunes to spread onto previously usable land.1:50
In the past 50 years alone, the Sahara desert has spread by 65 million hectares.2:00
And non desert areas are at risk too.2:07
31% of Spain, for example, is under threat of desertification.2:11
In fact, entire parts of the world could become uninhabitable, forcing people to flee to already crowded, greener countries.2:16
So what can be done about this worrying situation?2:26
Well, unfortunately, desertification is irreversible, but we can all continue to help stop global warming simply by using less energy.2:29
Or why not donate money to a project that plants trees to stop erosion in desert areas?2:39
Or even take part yourself?2:45
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