“UN: Earth’s ‘Pitfall’ Threatened by Unstable Farming, Deforestation” | (अस्थिर खेती, वनों की हानि के कारण पृथ्वी ‘गड्ढे’ की ओर जा रही है: संयुक्त राष्ट्र )

Main Points In Hindi (मुख्य बातें – हिंदी में)

1. भूमि क्षरण और जलवायु परिवर्तन का खतरा: संयुक्त राष्ट्र की हालिया रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, अस्थिर कृषि प्रथाओं और वनों की कटाई मानव समाज के लिए ग्रह की जीवन स्थिरता को खतरे में डाल रही है, जिससे जलवायु परिवर्तन और जैव विविधता की हानि में वृद्धि हो रही है।

2. वैश्विक मरुस्थलीकरण शिखर सम्मेलन: लगभग 200 देशों का सम्मेलन सऊदी अरब में आयोजित हो रहा है, जिसका उद्देश्य इस दशक के अंत तक 1.5 अरब हेक्टेयर क्षतिग्रस्त भूमि की बहाली करना है, जो जलवायु परिवर्तन के विरुद्ध वैश्विक प्रयासों का हिस्सा है।

3. कृषि के दुष्प्रभाव: कृषि गतिविधियाँ ग्रीनहाउस गैसों के 23% उत्सर्जन, वनों की कटाई के 80% और ताजे पानी के 70% उपयोग के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं। रिपोर्ट में यह भी बताया गया है कि औद्योगिक कृषि की रासायनिक वस्तुओं का उपयोग जलमार्गों को नुकसान पहुँचाता है और पारिस्थितिक असंतुलन पैदा करता है।

4. महत्वपूर्ण पारिस्थितिकीय सीमाएँ: रिपोर्ट में छह महत्वपूर्ण पारिस्थितिकीय सीमाओं (जैसे जलवायु परिवर्तन और जैव विविधता की हानि) का उल्लिखित किया गया है, जो पहले से ही खतरे में हैं, और बताया गया है कि वनों की कटाई और जल प्रबंधन में सुधार के बिना स्थिति में सुधार की संभावना नहीं है।

5. भविष्य की चुनौती: यदि भूमि की भूमिका को सही तरीके से नहीं समझा गया और इसे संरक्षित करने के लिए कार्रवाई नहीं की गई, तो इससे वैश्विक सुरक्षा, खाद्य असुरक्षा, और पर्यावरणीय परिवर्तनों में वृद्धि होगी, जो अगली पीढ़ियों के लिए गंभीर चुनौतियाँ उत्पन्न कर सकता है।

Main Points In English(मुख्य बातें – अंग्रेज़ी में)

Here are the main points from the article regarding land degradation and desertification, as warned by the United Nations:

1. Human Impact on the Earth’s Capacity: The UN warned that unstable farming practices and deforestation are threatening the planet’s ability to sustain human societies. A report emphasizes that loss of forests and degraded soil reduces resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss, creating a negative feedback loop.

2. Upcoming UN Desertification Summit: Nearly 200 countries are expected to gather in Saudi Arabia for a conference aimed at restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land this decade, marking it as the largest conference focused on land to date in the context of ongoing UN discussions on climate and biodiversity.

3. Agricultural Burden on the Planet: Agriculture is linked to 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, and 70% of freshwater usage. While expanding agricultural land can temporarily increase food supply, it leads to soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and ultimately greater food insecurity.

4. Warning of Environmental Limits: The report highlights that six out of nine planetary boundaries, including climate change and biodiversity loss, are already critically compromised. Failure to address these issues could lead to irreversible environmental changes and impact global security, causing hunger, conflict, and migration.

5. Calls for Systemic Changes: Solutions proposed include addressing corruption, improving water management, and revising agricultural practices. There is a call to connect harmful agricultural subsidies with sustainable practices as part of the effort to combat land degradation.

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Complete News In Hindi(पूरी खबर – हिंदी में)

Complete News In English(पूरी खबर – अंग्रेज़ी में)

On the eve of international talks about land degradation and desertification, the United Nations warned that unstable farming practices and deforestation are jeopardizing the Earth’s ability to sustain human life. In a report released jointly with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), scientists explained that forest loss and degraded soil are reducing resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss, creating a negative feedback loop that could lead the world to dangerous tipping points.

Nearly 200 countries are expected to gather in Saudi Arabia for a UN conference on desertification on Monday, where they will be tasked with expanding restoration efforts to recover 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land over the next decade. This meeting is anticipated to be the largest land conference ever and comes amid tough UN negotiations on climate, biodiversity, and plastic issues.

Ibrahim Thiaw, the executive secretary of UNCCD, stated that failing to acknowledge the crucial role of land and to take appropriate action will have widespread impacts on all aspects of life, leading to future hardships for generations to come.

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The new report highlights the heavy burden agriculture places on the planet, calling for improvements. Agriculture is linked to 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, and 70% of freshwater usage. Thiaw and Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research noted that expanding agricultural land may provide short-term food security, but it can lead to soil degradation and biodiversity loss, thus increasing long-term food insecurity.

Besides forest loss, industrial agriculture uses large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, creating dead zones in waterways, harming biodiversity, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Poor water management is further depleting freshwater resources.

Based on 350 research sources, the report utilizes the concept of planetary boundaries, identifying “safe operating space” to maintain a habitable environment for most species. Rockström remarked that the framework aims to ensure human well-being within the ecological limits of the Earth.

He emphasized that we are at a crucial crossroads where we must decide between retreating and taking transformative actions or continuing on a path of irreversible environmental change.

Of the nine planetary boundaries, six—climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, freshwater scarcity, and nitrogen use—are already in the “deep red.” Two of the remaining boundaries—ocean acidification and particle pollution—are close to the threshold, while only ozone depletion remains comfortably within safe limits.

The report warns of accelerating feedback loops; for instance, deforestation releases carbon emissions, worsening climate change, which in turn reduces ecosystems’ ability to recycle water and manage drought, leading to more tree deaths.

Solutions include tackling corruption, improving water management, and reforming agriculture. The report also suggests linking hundreds of billions of dollars in harmful or inefficient agricultural subsidies to more sustainable practices.

According to data shared by governments with UNCCD, land degradation currently affects 1.5 billion hectares, approximately the size of Russia, and this affected area is expected to increase by an estimated 100 million hectares each year.

In an interview with AFP, Thiaw said that global security is genuinely at risk, as hunger, conflict, and migration are rising due to forest loss and poor soil conditions.

Saudi Arabia’s high oil production often draws criticism from climate activists, and it has been accused of hindering progress at other UN environmental meetings. However, by engaging in the talks on desertification, Riyadh stands to gain more from the 12-day negotiations. Deputy Environment Minister Osama Faqih told AFP, without providing a specific timeline, that the country aims to restore 40 million hectares of degraded land in one of the world’s largest deserts.



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