Desertification is too important for Canada to ignore.
by David Suzuki
The federal government recently pulled out of an important global treaty. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is aimed at fighting drought, a problem that affects almost 30 percent of Earth’s land surface and threatens the well-being of more than a billion people worldwide, including in our Prairie provinces.
Every year, the cumulative effects of overgrazing, over-cultivation, deforestation, poor irrigation and increasing extreme weather events — including those that cause drought — permanently degrade close to 10 million hectares of land. This has led to a creeping loss of places where food can easily be grown.
The deterioration of dry-land ecosystems has already created desert-like “dead zones” that can no longer support human life in places such as sub-Saharan Africa. No region is immune. Close to three-quarters of North America’s dry lands, including parts of the Prairies, are vulnerable to drought. And sudden loss of agricultural productivity can be devastating to farm communities across Canada.
Close to three-quarters of North America’s dry lands, including parts of the Prairies, are vulnerable to drought. And sudden loss of agricultural productivity can be devastating to farm communities across Canada.
Many aid and development experts believe this international agreement is critical to advancing global economic, political and food security. Canada is the only country to walk away.
The convention is a rare example of people from around the world coming together to address the root causes of environmental and social crises. It was passed shortly after drought-related crop failures and resulting malnutrition, starvation and mass migrations ravaged the Horn of Africa in the 1980s in places like Somalia and Ethiopia.
Canadians opened their hearts and wallets to these horrific droughts. Our government matched public efforts, with leadership in helping to negotiate the Desertification Convention, signed in 1994. Canadians even led its decision-making body for many years. Through our partnership in the convention, previous federal governments also poured hundreds of millions of dollars into research, education and direct aid to drought-stricken nations.
Canada’s past leadership is no surprise. Drought is a serious problem for our farmers. We are, in fact, officially designated as an “affected nation” under the convention, given that 60 percent of our croplands and 80 percent of our rangelands are in dry-land areas. Earlier droughts, such as the dust bowls of the Dirty ’30s, triggered severe erosion and dust storms, and resulted in tragic consequences, including massive unemployment and abandonment of farms across the Prairies.
The convention is a rare example of people from around the world coming together to address the root causes of environmental and social crises, following drought-related starvation and mass migrations across the Horn of Africa in the 1980s in places like Somalia and Ethiopia.
Canada was once renowned internationally for progressive ideals and values that help improve the world — from Lester B Pearson's creation and deployment of peacekeepers to our support for a global ban on anti-personnel land mines with the passing of the Ottawa Treaty (also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention). The world community recognized many of our leaders for these efforts with Nobel Peace Prizes and nominations.
By abandoning the UN Desertification Convention, as well as other important international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, we’re sending the wrong message to the world community. We’re saying that exporting resources like oil and timber matter more to us than contributing to dialogue and partnership on global issues. That Canada snuck out of the agreement without even notifying the UN secretariat, just to save about $300,000 a year, makes matters worse.
Nature doesn’t heed human borders, and global problems like drought and desertification require global solutions.
Nature doesn’t heed human borders, and global problems like drought and desertification require global solutions. Canada was wrong to pull out of the UN Desertification Convention. Doing so further isolates us on the world stage as a partner in addressing environmental issues and tarnishes our hard-earned reputation when it comes to making the world a better place to live.
Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Ontario and Northern Canada Director General Faisal Moola.
References
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Drivers and consequences of desertification worldwide
Drought-related famines in the Horn of Africa
The last famine?
Canadian programs and projects to combat desertification (report to UNCCD 2001-2002)
Canada’s vulnerability to drought and desertification (official report to UNCCD)
Environment Canada study on economic consequences of drought to Canadian farmers
Ottawa Treaty
United Nation’s Response to Canada’s withdrawal from UNCCD
YouTube video: Feeding 9 billion people (food security)
About David Suzuki
David T Suzuki, PhD, Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.
David has received consistently high acclaim for his 30 years of award-winning work in broadcasting, explaining the complexities of science in a compelling, easily understood way. He is well known to millions as the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular science television series, The Nature of Things. An internationally respected geneticist, David was a full Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 1969 until his retirement in 2001. He is professor emeritus with UBC's Sustainable Development Research Institute. From 1969 to 1972 he was the recipient of the prestigious EWR Steacie Memorial Fellowship Award for the "Outstanding Canadian
Research Scientist Under the Age of 35".
For more insights from David Suzuki, please read Everything Under the Sun (Greystone Books/David Suzuki Foundation), by David Suzuki and Ian Hanington, now available in bookstores and online.
This article is reprinted with permission.
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One Response to “Our increasingly arid planet”
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I watched a TED lecture by Allan Savory on Desertification at http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html
After getting rid of grazers which were thought to cause bare dirt , methane production and desertification, he demonstrated that grazers were a solution to keep the land green and productive. This happens where there is rain part of the year but it is dry all the rest of the time. It also depends on the herds eating the grass short, leaving droppings and then moving on to new pastures. He restored grasslands and increased productivity with grazing cattle and sheep. It is astonishing and well worth watching.