This one employs who-knows-how-many international bureaucrats who must
secretly hope the war is never won;
On the World Day to Combat Desertification, DW [Deutsche Welle] asks what the commonly
used term actually means, why it is such a problem in so many parts of
the world, and what can be done to reverse it.
Spoil sports.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines
it as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions
resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human
activities.”
They would say that, wouldn't they. Our bold above, naturally.
Humans have been meddling with their environment for thousands of years
and there are some indications that man-made desertification may not be
an entirely new phenomenon. Some historical research suggests that
mismanagement of natural resources may have significantly impacted a
variety of ancient cultures - such as Rome, Greece and Carthage - by
drying out lands on which they once flourished.
Amazing they managed that before Henry Ford came along.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
ReplyDeleteI am offended by the use of a term of war ("Combat") to describe the peaceful operation of a UN effort. Such use normalizes violent speech in an already violent and offensive society.