The Real Root of Deforestation and Desertification

Written by Myles on May 21, 2019. Posted in Current News

Why do the majority of people associate desertification with global warming? It has long been pushed as proof of a global warming crisis.

But research into the subject and the real drivers of this world wide phenomenon lie with deforestation and incorrect animal grazing practices.

One reason people associate desertification with greenhouse gas driven climate change is that the problem has been hyped by the UN. They pushed the problem on the public with statements such as.

  “Desertification is greatest threat to planet, expert warns”

UN’s top drylands official says people must be paid via global carbon markets for preserving the soil, according to The Guardian. However they pin the blame on the carbon cycle rather than doing a bit of research and finding out whats actually going on. They blame the scenario on –

“The better known issues of climate change and loss of biodiversity are both rooted in the global loss of fertile soil, said Gnacadja, as the soil harbours a huge stock of carbon and the health of creatures living in the soil underpins global food production and forest growth.”

and also again stating,

“The impacts of climate change – rising temperatures and more erratic rainfall – are here already from Latin Americato the Sahel, said Gnacadja.”

 Evidence of the real drivers of desertification

Firstly, as an example of how this process is being misrepresented take a look at China and the expanding Gobi and Tengger deserts.

The problem here stems back to Chairman Mao who ordered whole forests cut down to use the timber for growth of the system. This is explained here in a You Tube video titled: “Can the ‘Great Green Wall’ stop desertification in China?”  https://youtu.be/pSn6S-H7m-8

But even in this video it states the people displaced by the expanding desert are called “Climate Refugees”. Clearly this is a twist on the facts , they are “Deforestation Refugees” and the warming is caused by deforestation driving desertification not greenhouse gas driven climate change.

This is also confirmed by national geographic which states :

“Deforestation, overgrazing, and overuse of water by people are some of the leading factors responsible for desertification.”

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/china-great-green-wall-gobi-tengger-desertification/

Secondly, take a look at Europes desertification history and we see that Spain has a well-known problem with desertification. Research into the cause and deforestation started the ball rolling here again. A lot of the forests are cut down for making charcoal. This leads to rain running off, erosion and desertification. The result is that temperatures then rise.

   “Bernal explained that the forests here were burned to make charcoal, or to clear land for sheep to graze – once common practices throughout Spain. “

https://www.dw.com/cda/en/spain-replants-after-centuries-of-deforestation/a-16774319

But this process of desertification is painted as caused by greenhouse gas driven climate change. For example the Guardian quoted.

Climate change rate to turn southern Spain to desert by 2100, report warns

Mediterranean ecosystems will change to a state unprecedented in the past 10,000 years unless temperature rises are held to within 1.5C, say scientists.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/27/climate-change-rate-to-turn-southern-spain-to-desert-by-2100-report-warns

The Guardian article alleges that holding temperature down to within 1.5C will be a solution. Yet desertification driven by deforestation has already occurred at the lower temperature. ! Limiting temperature rise to 1.5C will at best slow down the process a bit.

The actual solution is to re-plant the land with trees and shrubs and encourage the ecosystem to re-generate. Throwing billions at the sky in CO2 initiatives will have no appreciable effect.

The same is true of Sudan. The charcoal trade is causing extensive deforestation leading to desertification and warmer temperatures. The same scenario that happened in Spain. An interesting case study to watch or maybe even protect the forests there and give them some alternative form of energy.

Again throwing billions at the sky to lower CO2 levels will do nothing. Wouldn’t it be better to address real problems directly.?

http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/ArticleView/mid/519/articleId/21051/Charcoal-Trade-Leading-To-Deforestation-In-S-Sudan.aspx

The picture generally painted by “Climate science” is of global warming driving the desertification and more warming speeding up the process. Clearly in these examples deforestation is the root cause which then drives warming.

Climate science is again shown to be in the business of manipulating public opinion towards their theory.

Thirdly, The worlds problem of desertification is explained as having another root cause in incorrect animal grazing. Explained in this YouTube video titled:

“How to green the world’s deserts and reverse climate change | Allan Savory”   https://youtu.be/vpTHi7O66pI

  “ In 2010 Savory’s work in Zimbabwe, demonstrating the reversal of desertification using increased livestock, won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Prize for the strategy offering the most hope for dealing with humanity’s most pressing issues.”

https://www.savory.global/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/climate-change.pdf

The main cause of desertification apart from deforestation explained as poor or incorrect animal grazing practices. The grazing of a few animals on one patch of land degrades the land, not giving it a chance to recover properly while larger herds, eating , defecating and moving around cause the land to regenerate.

Experiments have been successfully done proving the success of this with stunning results of reversing desertification. Hard empirical evidence that this is sound agricultural science.

How much warming is coming from deforestation driven desertification?

A major study in China finds planting trees has a significant cooling effect. See:

Afforestation in China cools local land surface temperature

Shu-Shi Penga, Shilong Piaoa,b,1, Zhenzhong Zenga, Philippe Ciaisc, Liming Zhoud, Laurent Z. X. Lie, Ranga B. Mynenif,

Yi Yina, and Hui Zengg

   “Afforestation is found to decrease daytime LST by about 1.1 ± 0.5 °C (mean ± 1 SD) and to increase nighttime LST by about 0.2 ± 0.5 °C, on average. The observed daytime cooling is a result of increased evapotranspiration.”

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/111/8/2915.full.pdf

If you extrapolate this backwards then deforestation will have a similar but opposite effect and cause significant warming. This is just the start as then the deforestation leads to desertification and more warming.

This is not being correctly accounted for by “Global warming alarmists” and they blame CO2 instead. For example:

   “Deforestation and Its Extreme Effect on Global Warming From logging, agricultural production and other economic activities, deforestation adds more atmospheric CO2 than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deforestation-and-global-warming/?redirect=1

So here you can see that the worldwide problem of desertification has been significantly driven by deforestation and poor animal grazing practices , this then results in warming. The amount of warming is so significant that more research is needed to correctly establish its effect on the planets temperature.

Climate science has unfortunately got it the wrong way round and mistakenly believes that warming is driving the majority of the desertification. The real world finding presented here show that this is not the case.

PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL, legally registered in the UK as a company incorporated for charitable purposes (company registration number 10824140), Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.   

Please DONATE TODAY To Help Our Non-Profit Mission To Defend The Scientific Method.

Trackback from your site.