'Areas Getting Drier': European Space Agency Shares Concerning Images Of Deserts On Earth

With climate change in full force, a lack of rainfall, and other activities, there has been an alarming rise in desertification. It means a decline in soil fertility and the degradation of Earth’s vital energy, leading to desert conditions.

The European Space Agency has drawn attention to some concerning visuals of our planet. Known for sharing glimpses of the world beyond our home planet, the ESA often posts unseen visuals from space.

In a recent post, the space agency shared a couple of pictures and videos captured from the International Space Station (ISS), claiming that these areas of the planet are getting drier.

“These images of deserts from around the world, taken by our astronauts from the ISS, together with ESA observation satellites, help us monitor land degradation and understand desertification. By working together, communities can implement sustainable land management practices to combat desertification and preserve our precious ecosystems,” the agency wrote in its post.

The post also explained that desertification is the degradation of land in drylands, which is often caused by human activities and climate change, reduces land productivity, and can lead to famine.

Meanwhile, it includes a series of pictures captured from various angles of the Earth, mainly focusing on the widespread deserts. ESA also shared a video that pans over the planet to show vast areas of desert land.

The Instagram post instantly went viral, garnering a lot of reaction on the platform. A user wrote, “We need to save our planet earth,” while another commented, “Climate change is unstoppable. It has always been like this and it will continue no matter what.”

“My heart feels heavy when I read this,” another user added, while one concerned user posted, “We need to save our planet Earth.”

Notably, desertification, loss of biodiversity, and climate change were recognised as among the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Regarding the existing challenges, Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), spoke to Xinhua and claimed that the world population was expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.

He also emphasised that the need to restore the balance between increasing demands and shrinking resources remains the biggest challenge.