Nearly $ 500 billion

The United Nations says desertification has attacked 168 countries, causing economic losses of up to 490 billion per year.

>>>The temperature of the Earth is at an increased risk of 5 degrees Celsius

In an economic analysis published last week, the United Nations Convention on Desertification (UNCCD) warns that land degradation now costs $ 490 billion a year and takes up an area. Three times more land than Switzerland, Guardian reported.

Desertification has spread to 168 countries.

'Land degradation and drought are hindering the development of countries around the world. This is a challenge that governments need to take seriously. But how do you make them look seriously? By showing them the restoration of eroded lands is one of the smartest ways to invest at this time, ' said Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary of the UNCCD.

He added that desertification, soil degradation and drought are a problem of market failure. In 1990, only 110 countries were affected by desertification. The causes of land degradation are quite diverse, but the most common causes include drought, climate change, practices of intensive cultivation and poor water management.

Desertification is not a problem that many countries care about. Canada's withdrawal from the UNCCD is one of those examples. But its relationship to climate change and food security has worried some governments and the business community in the context of public concern that the world will not have enough food to feed the population. Future.