International
Growing threat of desertification in Spain due to climate change, intensive farming, says expert
Barcelona, July 30 (IANS) The threat of desertification in Spain is growing due to climate change and the intensive pressure of land use, a Spanish expert told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.
Gabriel del Barrio from the Spanish National Research Council’s Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA) said: “The amount of land under active degradation has tripled in just ten years. This will continue to grow because the land is being subjected to very intense use in order to extract the vegetables and other agricultural products necessary for a socioeconomic dynamic that is overheating the system.”
Nevertheless, the researcher explained that the term desertification can be misleading as it suggests that the land affected by the phenomenon could become desert. He insisted that “there will never be a desert in Spain.”
Deserts are complex functioning ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years, he said, adding: “What we are talking about is degraded land, which is a different thing.”
Desertification refers to the permanent degradation of arable land in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas, due to intense pressure from farming, urbanization and climate change.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned earlier this month that 90 percent of the planet’s land surface could become degraded by 2050.
Up to 75 percent of Spanish territory is “susceptible to desertification”, according to the country’s Ministry for Ecological Transition.
Meanwhile, the EEZA reports that the percentage of land in Spain that can be classed as degraded currently stands at 24.6 percent.
The Spanish government has warned that higher temperatures have caused arid climates to double since the mid-20th century, at an annual rate of about 1,500 square kilometers per year, Xinhua news agency reported.
As Del Barrio said, “An increasingly arid climate undermines the resilience of ecosystems and makes it harder for them to recover.” At the same time, the effect of climate change “increases the intensification of human activity”, such as the expansion of irrigation systems into dryland areas.
Some 22 percent of irrigated land is considered degraded or very degraded, according to Del Barrio. Spanish authorities say that 79 percent of the country’s water resources are used for agriculture and livestock farming.
“Land degradation is inherent to our presence in the world, but we can do some things to try to control it. We can, for example, respect the cycles of production and renewal of the natural resources that replenish slowly,” said the researcher, referring to underground water reserves known as aquifers.
The intensification of agricultural land use is the principal cause of land degradation, according to Del Barrio. The dynamic of the current market “forces farmers to produce in excess” in order to satisfy the strict demands of large food distribution chains.
In today’s globalized world, the effects of land degradation can also be felt across continents. Del Barrio cited the phenomenon of telecoupling, which refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over long distances.
“The areas in Spain of intensive agriculture and livestock farming are importing fodder produced in South America, which is at the expense of degrading native forests in regions of the Amazon, so the relationships are becoming increasingly complex,” he said.
UNESCO also sees land degradation and desertification as a global issue, and stresses the importance of fertile soil in maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. It has warned that 75 percent of soils are already degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people.
–IANS
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Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of Singapore’s founding father, the late Lee Kuan Yew, announced on Tuesday that he is now a political refugee in the United Kingdom after seeking asylum from the British government “as a last resort.”
“I remain a Singapore citizen and hope that someday it will be safe to return home,” Lee stated in a Facebook post, as reported by Channel News Asia (CNA).
Citing what he described as the Singapore government’s “attacks” against him, Lee, who is the younger brother of former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, revealed that he sought asylum protection in 2022.
Lee Hsien Yang and his late sister, Lee Wei Ling, who passed away earlier this month, have been in conflict with their brother Lee Hsien Loong over the fate of their father’s home following his death in 2015, resulting in a public dispute that has estranged the siblings.
In an interview with the UK-based newspaper The Guardian, Lee alleged that a “campaign of persecution” compelled him to seek asylum in Britain.
In response to his claims, the Singapore government stated that there is “no basis” for his allegations of “a campaign of persecution” or other assertions regarding political repression in the country.
“Singapore’s judiciary is impartial and makes decisions independently. This is why Singaporeans have a high level of trust in the judiciary,” a government spokesperson remarked.
The spokesperson added that there are no legal restrictions preventing Lee and his wife, lawyer Lee Suet Fern, from returning to Singapore. “They are and have always been free to return to Singapore,” the spokesperson said.
Lee and his wife have been outside of Singapore since 2022, having opted not to attend a scheduled police interview regarding potential offenses related to providing false evidence in judicial proceedings concerning their father’s will and the family home.
Lee and his late sister, who had been living at the property, alleged they felt threatened while trying to fulfill their father’s wish to demolish the house. They also accused their elder brother, former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, of abusing his governmental influence to advance his personal agenda.
Kazan, Russia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit.
During the meeting, President Putin remarked, “I recall our meeting in July, where we had productive discussions on various issues. We’ve also spoken over the phone several times. I am very grateful you accepted the invitation to come to Kazan. Today, we will attend the BRICS Summit’s opening ceremony, followed by dinner.”
PM Modi responded by expressing his appreciation, saying, “I sincerely thank you for your friendship, warm welcome, and hospitality. It’s a great pleasure to visit such a beautiful city as Kazan for the BRICS Summit. India shares deep historical ties with this city, and the opening of our new embassy here will further strengthen these connections.”
Vientiane (Laos), Aug 22 (IANS) Representatives from the Lao government and development partners have attended a conference here titled “Climate Change and Nutrition in Laos: Intersections and Interventions” to discuss the impact of climate change on nutrition in the Southeast Asia country and potential solutions.
Speaking at the conference, deputy director general of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Health Viengkhan Phixay, said, “We gather to address a critical and interwoven issue: the impact of climate change on nutrition and how we can work together to tackle these challenges,” Xinhua news agency reported.
The Lao government is actively engaged in this endeavor, with numerous policies and initiatives aimed at addressing both climate change and nutrition, Lao National Television reported on Thursday.
“By leveraging the Scaling Up Nutrition network in Laos, which is led by the government, and supported by civil society, donors, and the United Nations, we have a robust platform to tackle the negative impacts of climate change while improving nutrition and overall health for everyone in Laos,” Viengkham said at the conference held on Monday.
The conference featured a series of presentations that not only detailed evidence-based research but also introduced innovative tools for measuring and enhancing nutrition under the impact of climate change.
The conference stressed the critical need for integrated approaches to tackle the intertwined challenges of climate change and nutrition, and setting the stage for impactful future collaborations.
–IANS
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Baghdad, Aug 22 (IANS) A civilian was killed while seven others were injured on Thursday in a tribal shootout in Iraq’s holy Shiite province of Najaf, according to a local security source.
The shootout erupted in the early hours between armed men from the local tribe in the al-Zarga area in northern Najaf, some 160 km south of Baghdad, a local police officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The clash resulted in the killing of an Iraqi civilian and the injury of seven others, including three Iranian Shiite pilgrims, the source added.
A joint force from the Interior Ministry’s emergency response division and Najaf provincial police arrested 53 gunmen from both sides of the shootout and seized weapons and ammunition, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
It added that search operations are ongoing to locate additional gunmen and weapons, with more details to be released later.
The incident took place as numerous pilgrims traveled to the city of Karbala to observe Arbaeen, which marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.
Typically, these pilgrims also visit Najaf as part of their journey to Karbala.
–IANS
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Dhaka, Aug 22 (IANS) Bangladesh’s interim government has sought $1 billion from the World Bank as budgetary support.
The call came from the country’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan’s meeting with Abdoulaye Seck, the World Bank’s Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, in Dhaka on Wednesday.
He made the plea as the ministry owes more than 2 billion dollars to suppliers in import costs of power and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.
Khan mentioned that the interim government, which was formed with many pressing mandates, is due to settle a $2 billion debt left by the previous government in the power sector.
He said they have already suspended activities under the much-criticized Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply Act 2010 and abolished the government’s power to set energy prices without any public hearing.
On August 5, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted from her country and power, ending her rule since January 2009.
This event was seen as a massive escalation, with what initially started as student’s protests and resulted in a major crisis in Bangladesh.
Earlier on August 8, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.
–IANS
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