[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 83 (Wednesday, June 16, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S6878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF U.N. CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today to mark the tenth 
anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. 
Since its adoption on June 17th, 1994, some 190 countries, including 
the United States, have become party to the convention. But for those 
looking for reasons to celebrate on this tenth anniversary, the news on 
desertification is not good at all. Indeed, the scope and pace of 
desertification have increased over the last two decades. In some parts 
of the world, the rate of desertification has doubled since the 1970s. 
By 2025, according to the United Nations, two-thirds of the arable land 
in Africa will be gone.
  Today, desertification threatens an astonishing one-third of the 
earth's land surface, directly affecting over 250 million people and 
threatening the livelihoods of some 1.2 billion more. Most of these 
people live in the world's poorest countries, caught in a vicious cycle 
of accelerating poverty and environmental degradation. Disruptions 
associated with climate change will likely make things worse.
  No one has to be reminded of how important fertile soil has been to 
human societies. But what can take centuries to form can be eroded or 
blown away in a matter of years. Loss of arable land directly 
undermines food security, displacing large numbers of people, creating 
new opportunities for sickness and disease, and, in some cases, 
contributing to famine. These sorts of pressures also work to 
exacerbate political instability in so-called weak states.
  Indeed, the links between desertification and security are 
increasingly apparent, as recognized by a recent NATO workshop on the 
issue. It is high time that policy makers in the United States take 
these linkages seriously.
  But it is also high time to recognize that desertification is 
fundamentally a humanitarian issue. We cannot remain indifferent while 
millions suffer from the effects of desertification. This was the 
impetus that drove the international community to negotiate and adopt a 
formal convention ten years ago. As we mark the tenth anniversary of 
the convention, we would do well to remember this and to acknowledge 
that we must redouble our efforts to combat this global environmental 
problem.
  Unfortunately, the United States has so far failed to play a leading 
role in the global effort to combat desertification. Although we 
finally became a party to the convention in 2000, we have never been 
especially active. I urge the current administration to step up and 
take a more active role in the convention. Without active participation 
and leadership by the United States, the effectiveness of international 
efforts to combat desertification will be limited at best.

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