desertifies
Turns land barren
Desertifies means transforms into desert, typically through climate change, deforestation, or unsustainable farming practices.
Land that desertifies loses its vegetation and becomes arid and barren: Overgrazing has desertified vast stretches of the Sahel.
The process, called desertification, threatens agricultural regions worldwide.
Rising planetary temperatures
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- anthropogenicCaused by human activity
- emissionsSubstances released into air
temperature rise · environmental degradation · overgrazing · soil erosion · climate crisis · salinization · feedback loop · irreversible
Unable to produce
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- desiccatedThoroughly dehydrated
- scorchedBurned on surface
- sunbakedDried by solar heat
dusty · arid · waterless · sere · cracked · dehydrated · sand · dunes
Insufficient freshwater for demand
- famineSevere food shortage
- drynessAbsence of moisture
- thirstNeed for fluid
- starvationExtreme nutritional deprivation
crop failure · withered · desiccation · dustbowl · cracked earth · prolonged · severe · seasonal
Elimination of living spaces
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
overexploitation · degradation · fragmentation · savanna · steppe · grassland · erosion · topsoil
global warming
Rising planetary temperatures
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- anthropogenicCaused by human activity
emissions · temperature rise · environmental degradation · overgrazing · soil erosion · climate crisis · salinization · feedback loop · irreversible · spreading
barren
Unable to produce
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- desiccatedThoroughly dehydrated
- scorchedBurned on surface
sunbaked · dusty · arid · waterless · sere · cracked · dehydrated · sand · dunes · wasteland
water scarcity
Insufficient freshwater for demand
starvation · crop failure · withered · desiccation · dustbowl · cracked earth · prolonged · severe · seasonal · migration
habitat loss
Elimination of living spaces
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
extinction · overexploitation · degradation · fragmentation · savanna · steppe · grassland · erosion · topsoil · groundwater depletion
desertifiesfertilizes
Adds nutrients for growth
reclaims · rehabilitates · restores · enriches · revitalizes
desertifiesirrigates
Supplies water artificially
reforests · revegetates · waters · greens · humidifies