Global Environmental Change, Climate Crisis and Desertification

Abstract

The speed of environmental changes, the increase in the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere and its abnormal warming, the greenhouse effect, and the increase in desertified areas are linked to climate change. Trend tables indicate that global changes are worsened by changes in temperature and rainfall resulting from climate change, with a strong anthropogenetic influence. Reports from the United Nations/UN, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicate that the world has already suffered a 1.0 °C global warming above the pre-industrial levels, with a variation between 0.8 and 1.2 °C. Drylands and the poorest countries would be the most affected by these transformations, which involve aggravation of ecological, social, and economic problems. The desertification would spread due to this situation. Among the effects of global climate change, desertification is one of the most complex and harmful. It involves several factors and causes affecting natural, rural, and urban areas, posing major challenges for governments, civil society, the private sector, and future generations. The discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 13 (urgent measures to combat climate change and its impacts), tries to mitigate these issues. However, the mechanisms linked to climate change are still elements of skepticism for scientific denialists.