Desertification refers to the phenomenon of land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions under the influence of human activities and climate change. It is a major challenge facing human society at present. Desertification not only seriously threatens global ecological and environmental security, but also has a significant impact on social economy.
(Photo by Li Dongdong)
Professor Huang Jianping, director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Ecological Security in the West of Lanzhou University, has for the first time constructed the Global Desertification Vulnerability Index (GDVI) and predicted the future trend of desertification evolution. The index can be used to assess global vulnerability to desertification and is of great significance to policy makers in developing policies for land restoration and desertification control in sensitive areas and provides a scientific basis for global desertification control. The research was published online on January 17, 2020, under the title "Global Vulnerability to Climate Changeand Human Activities" in the leading international journal Land Degradation & Development.
The Global Desertification Vulnerability Index (GDVI) divides the global desertification vulnerability into four grades: extremely high, high, medium and low under the same index system. Currently, areas with moderate, high and very high desertification risks account for 13%, 7% and 9% of the global area respectively. The study also predicts that by the end of this century, due to the impact of climate change and human activities, the proportion of the global area at risk of desertification in areas of medium and above will increase by about 23% under future high-emission scenarios, with increased desertification risks mainly in the northern regions of Africa, North America, China and India.
Global vulnerability to climate Change and Human Activities
Annex: Global vulnerability to climate Change and Human Activities
