Extreme Weather and Land Degradation Signal Escalating Climate Crisis

Extreme Weather and Land Degradation Signal Escalating Climate Crisis
———————————–
NASA data and UN reports reveal a surge in extreme weather and land degradation, threatening ecosystems, economies, and global stability amid accelerating climate change.
More details in the following report:

As the world marks the 2025 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, alarming new data underscores the escalating climate emergency, an article by Anadolu Agency reported. Nearly 40% of Earth’s land surface is now classified as degraded, affecting over 3 billion people and costing the global economy an estimated $878 billion annually, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

This year’s observance, themed “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities,” calls for urgent investment in land restoration, with the UNCCD estimating a need for $1 billion per day through 2030 to meet global restoration targets.

Compounding the crisis, NASA’s latest satellite data reveals a dramatic rise in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events—particularly droughts and floods—over the past five years, according to an article by The Guardian. The intensity of these events in 2024 was double the 2003–2020 average, with scientists attributing the trend to global warming.

Experts warn that the world is unprepared for the scale of these changes. “This is a stark reminder that a hotter planet means more severe floods and droughts,” said Prof. Richard Betts of the UK Met Office. The Royal Meteorological Society also highlighted the growing threat of “hydroclimatic whiplash” events—sudden shifts between extreme wet and dry conditions—that are devastating agriculture, infrastructure, and public health.

With the World Meteorological Organization projecting continued temperature rises, the call for bold climate adaptation and mitigation has never been more urgent. Governments and industries must act decisively to restore land and build resilience against an increasingly volatile climate.