In protection of the nature...
In fact, several studies around the world suggest that deserts, like forests and oceans, have an enormous capacity to act as carbon sinks as well
Published: 03:10 PM,Oct 28,2024 | EDITED : 07:10 PM,Oct 28,2024
Nature is not for just poets and artists to get inspired; it is the basis of life on planet Earth and ought to be everyone's concern. It is not just a pretty tree; it might be bearing fruits, but all along, it has been producing oxygen for us to breathe. Day and night, they provide service to all living things. Then you might wonder what happens in the desert, where there may not be enough vegetation. There too, oxygen is released because a cactus also produces oxygen, even at night. So maybe the plants across the globe balance for the deserts. But deserts could be the solution for the challenges the planet is facing. The carbon which is produced has been the question faced by mankind. Deserts could have an answer.
CalWild, a statewide organisation dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the wild places and native biodiversity of California's public lands, has brought to light how deserts could help in capturing carbon because even oceans could become acidic while storing carbon dioxide that could affect marine wealth. In an article, CalWild explained, 'Our public lands encompass our deserts as well as our forests. However, for many years, the desert’s role in reducing carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere was widely overlooked. Recently, a 2023 report by the Department of Water Resources’ Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) identified California’s deserts as an untapped tool in the state’s climate action. The report estimates that our deserts “store nearly 10 per cent of the state’s carbon.”
'In fact, several studies around the world suggest that deserts, like forests and oceans, have an enormous capacity to act as carbon sinks as well. The desert’s plants and soil microbes work in tandem to capture and process massive amounts of carbon dioxide and store it safely underground. This natural process, called carbon sequestration, is complex and takes hundreds of years to complete. However, it has the potential to store carbon and keep it from entering the Earth’s atmosphere for centuries.'
California’s deserts are one-fourth of the state’s landscape, and so now the deserts have special status. The Sultanate of Oman's Rimal Al Sharqiya and the Empty Quarter must be doing their part too. It seems there can never be anything in nature that is not contributing to the welfare of the earth and creation. Surely climate change could be in the process, but even the desert can be a solution. This teaches us not to underestimate anything.
The largest hottest desert, the Sahara, has gone through ice sheets and monsoons, and when the monsoon cycle retreated, the dryness returned. The shift in climatic conditions may not be a new occurrence, but now more than ever before is the prevalence of human interference. From wildfires to hurricanes and cyclones, the earth is showing signs of stress and pollution. All of this has also led to the loss of species reaching extinction.
As we carry on with our daily affairs, nations have gathered this week in the city of Cali, Colombia, to prevent loss of biodiversity. The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Environment Authority of Oman, participated in the fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in the city of Cali, Colombia. According to CBD, almost 23,000 pre-registered delegates representing almost every country on Earth mark the importance of the 16th Conference of the Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16).
“Following COP15’s historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022, the two-week meeting in Cali is expected to be a defining event in the implementation of the framework’s ambitious goals and 23 targets for 2030, including protection of 30 per cent of the world’s land and seas by 2030, reducing harmful subsidies, and restoring degraded ecosystems,” states CBD.
Heads of state will be joined by almost 100 ministers for COP16’s High-Level Segment (October 29-30) as delegates work to wrap up negotiations before COP16 concludes on November 1. They will negotiate to operationalise the multilateral mechanism (established by COP15) for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources (DSI), including a global fund. According to them, the negotiators are also expected to find common ground on how to mobilise additional resources for biodiversity protection and ensure they are delivered in a timely fashion where they are most needed.
The report pointed out that the focus will also be on recognising and leveraging the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity and key partners in its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. The challenges that the planet faces are multifaceted, and there is an urgent need for collective action as the environment has no borders. The minds must come together to find the solutions.
CalWild, a statewide organisation dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the wild places and native biodiversity of California's public lands, has brought to light how deserts could help in capturing carbon because even oceans could become acidic while storing carbon dioxide that could affect marine wealth. In an article, CalWild explained, 'Our public lands encompass our deserts as well as our forests. However, for many years, the desert’s role in reducing carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere was widely overlooked. Recently, a 2023 report by the Department of Water Resources’ Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) identified California’s deserts as an untapped tool in the state’s climate action. The report estimates that our deserts “store nearly 10 per cent of the state’s carbon.”
'In fact, several studies around the world suggest that deserts, like forests and oceans, have an enormous capacity to act as carbon sinks as well. The desert’s plants and soil microbes work in tandem to capture and process massive amounts of carbon dioxide and store it safely underground. This natural process, called carbon sequestration, is complex and takes hundreds of years to complete. However, it has the potential to store carbon and keep it from entering the Earth’s atmosphere for centuries.'
California’s deserts are one-fourth of the state’s landscape, and so now the deserts have special status. The Sultanate of Oman's Rimal Al Sharqiya and the Empty Quarter must be doing their part too. It seems there can never be anything in nature that is not contributing to the welfare of the earth and creation. Surely climate change could be in the process, but even the desert can be a solution. This teaches us not to underestimate anything.
The largest hottest desert, the Sahara, has gone through ice sheets and monsoons, and when the monsoon cycle retreated, the dryness returned. The shift in climatic conditions may not be a new occurrence, but now more than ever before is the prevalence of human interference. From wildfires to hurricanes and cyclones, the earth is showing signs of stress and pollution. All of this has also led to the loss of species reaching extinction.
As we carry on with our daily affairs, nations have gathered this week in the city of Cali, Colombia, to prevent loss of biodiversity. The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Environment Authority of Oman, participated in the fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in the city of Cali, Colombia. According to CBD, almost 23,000 pre-registered delegates representing almost every country on Earth mark the importance of the 16th Conference of the Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16).
“Following COP15’s historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022, the two-week meeting in Cali is expected to be a defining event in the implementation of the framework’s ambitious goals and 23 targets for 2030, including protection of 30 per cent of the world’s land and seas by 2030, reducing harmful subsidies, and restoring degraded ecosystems,” states CBD.
Heads of state will be joined by almost 100 ministers for COP16’s High-Level Segment (October 29-30) as delegates work to wrap up negotiations before COP16 concludes on November 1. They will negotiate to operationalise the multilateral mechanism (established by COP15) for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources (DSI), including a global fund. According to them, the negotiators are also expected to find common ground on how to mobilise additional resources for biodiversity protection and ensure they are delivered in a timely fashion where they are most needed.
The report pointed out that the focus will also be on recognising and leveraging the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity and key partners in its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. The challenges that the planet faces are multifaceted, and there is an urgent need for collective action as the environment has no borders. The minds must come together to find the solutions.