Term Paper on "Desertification According to Brown, Desertification Affects"

Term Paper 4 pages (1052 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Desertification

According to Brown, desertification affects one billion people in more than 110 countries around the world. Since the first major droughts affected sub-Saharan Africa, the subject of desertification has been a major topic for UNCED. Desertification has, however, remained a contentious issue because of its relative localization. It has been defined as "sustained land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting mainly from adverse human impact," (Brown 175). Difficulties defining desertification, and framing it as a global issue, have stymied efforts on the part of multinational and transnational agencies to act. Alternative terms such as "land degradation" have been put forth without any meaningful change to semantics. Even within a broader "land degradation" framework, desertification remains a localized issue that mainly becomes global for financial reasons.

Desertification is also difficult to include in the agendas of intergovernmental environmental institutions because the complexity of the issue. Causes are varied and depend on the region. Overpopulation, climate, agricultural practices, social and economic institutions, land-use policies, and foreign policies all have an impact on desertification. Desertification affects a disproportionate number of African nations, and is an environmental effect of the social and political causes of poverty. Unfortunately, plans of action and intervention have systematically failed since the 1970s, when the Plan of Action to Combat Desertification was first devised. The United Nations has, rightly, blamed the failure of governments to address the root causes of desertification: most of which are clearly within their control.

The United States has been an unexpected ally of Africa in supporting anti-desertification proposals in the United Nations. Agenda 21 ultimately included an initiative for a special desertification convention, which came to fruition in 1993 with the International Convention to Combat Desertification (INCD). Rather than focusing on the science, the convention brought to light the more pressing need to address political, social and economic policy and practice in affected regions. Creation and maintenance of strong community-based organizations were specifically stressed. By placing the African nations at the helm of discussions, issues related to trade and finance were also discussed within the convention.

Unfortunately, the convention talks broke down. Key points of communication breakdown included debt relief and commodity pricing. However, the industrialized countries also claimed that the specific nature of desertification made it impossible to hold non-local actors accountable. Unlike ozone depletion or climate change, industrialized nations do not have a direct impact on desertification. At best, the issues of debt reduction and commodity pricing may be viewed as indirect global contributors -- and not necessarily as causes.

Many of the participating nations therefore refused to entertain funding and financial aid related specifically to desertification even if ameliorating the problem is a critical environmental concern. In spite of setbacks, the Convention to Combat Desertification was ratified and implemented by 1996, with 191 countries party to it. In addition to the socioeconomic issues the convention listed, physical and biological facets of desertification were discussed as were issues related to technology transfer. The INCD continued to flounder, unfortunately. Lack of institutional support, infrastructure, and other practical barriers to implementation plagued the progress of anti-desertification programs. Currently, the focus of desertification policy programs is on… READ MORE

How to Reference "Desertification According to Brown, Desertification Affects" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

How China's Cultures and Politics Affect One Another and Ultimately Affect Social Change Term Paper

China's Cultures and Politics affect one Another, and Ultimately Affect Social change

China's politics and culture and how they came to affect the social order

In spite of the fact… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2248 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Government / Politics

---

How China's Cultures and Politics Affect One Another and Ultimately Affect Social Change Annotated Bibliography

China's Cultures and Politics affect one Another, and Ultimately Affect Social change

Lau, V.P., Shaffer M. A & Au, K. (2007). Entrepreneurial career success from a Chinese

perspective: conceptualization, operationalization,… read more

Annotated Bibliography 2 pages (969 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Asian History / Asia

---

Young Goodman Brown Good and Evil in Humanity Essay

Young Goodman Brown dies "sad," "distrustful," "desperate" and the like (Hawthorne 8) in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story by that name. On the surface, this seems like a reflection and indictment of… read more

Essay 5 pages (1650 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Wendy Brown's Points About Toleration and Contrasting Them With Plato Locke Rousseau Mill or Marx Term Paper

Wendy Brown's Perspective on Tolerance society defines itself by the accepted set of norms that it establishes to define itself. Those that lie outside of those "norms" are viewed differently… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1341 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA Topic: Government / Politics

---

John Brown's Raid in Harper Ferry Research Paper

John Brown's raid in Harper' Ferry

John Brown was the famous abolitionist who is often mentioned as the man who killed slavery, sparked civil war and seeded civil rights (Reynolds… read more

Research Paper 4 pages (1361 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: American History / United States

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>