(Phnom Penh): Previously, we often thought that desertification was a natural process or something inevitable. But today, this perception is no longer correct. In fact, climate change is the driver and accelerator that is causing land to turn into desert faster. This is not normal; it is a consequence caused by human actions, and our world has not yet come together to address this issue effectively.
Why is this happening? When the Earth heats up intensely, the soil loses moisture rapidly. Heat causes water to evaporate, leaving the land dry, hard, and unable to grow anything. Meanwhile, rainfall has become irregular: some regions face prolonged drought, while others experience excessive rain all at once, which causes water to wash away the soil's nutrients. The result is that the land becomes increasingly degraded.
When the land becomes less productive due to intense heat, people often respond by extracting more from the same land to survive, such as cutting down trees, overgrazing, or farming beyond sustainable limits. These actions are not born out of a desire to destroy, but out of necessity.
However, they cause the land to deteriorate further, and we will face even greater difficulties in the future.
This impact does not just affect the environment; it leads to food shortages, a lack of water for use, economic decline, the displacement of people from their homes, and constant conflicts over resources.
But it is not too late. We can work together to solve this problem by reducing air pollution, restoring the land, practicing proper agriculture, and using water sparingly. It will become a much bigger problem if we act too late or continue to work separately rather than joining forces. We must include land issues in our climate protection policies.
The world can no longer ignore this. It is a choice we make, and we must change it. Delaying or acting half-heartedly will only cost us more.
The question is not, "Does hot weather turn land into desert?" because the answer is, it absolutely does! The more important question is: Do we have enough willpower to come together and solve this issue immediately?
=FRESH NEWS
