De-naturalizing Mother Earth
The latest UN Land Report presents sobering facts and provides some hope, but ignores inconvenient truths
I will show you fear in a handful of dust — T.S. Elliot (The Waste Land)
THE UNITED NATIONS just released Global Land Outlook 2 (GLO2), a report said to include the most comprehensive information on the status of Earth’s lands ever assembled. The facts are bad — and, for any clear-headed person following environmental trends over the past few decades, unsurprisingly so.
Honestly, as I reviewed the document it felt much like an environmental report from decades ago, such as the World Conservation Strategy (WCS 1980). Things are a lot worse environmentally now, but the solutions proposed and the tone and flavor of the report seem eerily much the same as before. Which forces the question, “how in the world do we expect any better outcomes? (By the way, read the WCS and you’ll be shocked at how similar its analysis and warnings are to those of today.)
Below you’ll find key quotes from GLO2 that typify the report, along with my comments. The headings are mine.
Main issues
“Humans have already transformed more than 70% of the Earth’s land area from its natural state, causing unparalleled environmental degradation and contributing significantly to global warming…the global extent of land degradation is estimated at between 20-40% of the total land area, directly affecting nearly half of the world’s population and spanning the world’s croplands, drylands, wetlands, forests, and grasslands.”
“As the global population grows, the increasing pressures to meet the rising demand for housing, food, and other essential goods are stretching the productive capacity of land and water systems to their limit…soil health and biodiversity below ground – the source of almost all our food calories – has been largely neglected by the industrial agricultural revolution of the last century.”
Rx
“Land restoration is essential and urgently needed. It must be integrated with allied measures to meet future energy needs while drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions; address food insecurity and water scarcity while shifting to more sustainable production and consumption; and accelerate a transition to a regenerative, circular economy that reduces waste and pollution.”
“By restoring the land, we can significantly improve human health and livelihoods, increase food and water security, and reduce the risk of future pandemics. This implies expanding and connecting protected and natural areas, improving soil, crop, and livestock health, and creating green and blue spaces in and around cities.”
Undeserving pesky truths?
The UN official that introduces the report (Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw) mentions in his very first sentence two primary drivers of global land degradation — “profligate consumerism…and a growing population.” Yet the report itself, by failing to address them, effectively cancels them out! Somehow “restoring” and “regenerating our land resources” are presumed possible without tackling root causes of the problem.
Land clearing and degradation are driven by human occupancy, food production, road construction, urbanization, mining, and the like. These activities in turn have been massively scaled up to support a human population of 8 billion and rising.
At humanity’s current level of ecological overshoot, proposed solutions and recommendations of the GLO2 report are unsustainable and destined to fall short.
If the UN had confidence in its proposed solutions, it would explain why addressing root causes of land degradation is unnecessary. It would discuss overpopulation and overconsumption, fully evaluate them, and present a case as to why they are viewed as irrelevant, or cannot be remedied.
There are many knowledgable ecologists, economists, educators and others who view excessive population and consumption as key drivers of Earth’s current predicament. To simply ignore them is absolutely inexcusible.
Overly Anthropocentric
GLO2 refers to nature in utilitarian terms such as “services,” “resources,” and “natural capital stocks.” It clearly meets its goal of “Putting People Front and Center.” Of nine pictures in its 23-page Summary for Decision Makers, seven are of people (with or without domestic livestock), one is an aerial background shot of a forest and a stream, and none feature wildlife.
While GLO2 promotes wildlife conservation and recovery, these responsibilities (see Figure 1 below) are contextually for the benefit of a single species (us) among tens of millions on Earth. GLO2 says little about the countless beings — naturally-occurring animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms — that are harmed or obliterated as a result of our land overexploitation and misuse. It fails to give more-than-human life the kind of respect and compassion it deserves.
“The world is facing a confluence of unprecedented crises: the fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic has merged with the ongoing and relentless global changes to our climate, land, and biodiversity. Collectively, these are causing extraordinary levels of human suffering, social and economic instability, and environmental devastation. Conserving, restoring, and using our land resources sustainably is a global imperative” (my emphasis added).
“Land resources – soil, water, and biodiversity – provide the foundation for the wealth of our societies and economies. They meet the growing needs and desires for food, water, fuel, and other raw materials that shape our livelihoods and lifestyles.”
“Taken together, human actions are undermining and challenging the fundamental processes that underpin a habitable biosphere and Earth system resilience. It can no longer be taken for granted that the planet will be able to continue to support human wellbeing and development” (quoted from International Science Council).
“Poor rural communities, smallholder farmers, women, youth, indigenous peoples, and other at-risk groups are disproportionately affected by desertification, land degradation, and drought.”
While GLO2 emphasizes social justice (a good thing), it excludes justice to non-human life (a very shortsighted thing). If you are wondering why such exclusion is a moral as well as a practical problem for humanity, check out Why Extinctions Really Matter here on Substack.
Coda
Apart from being overly anthropocentric and ignoring human population and economic overgrowth, I really liked parts of the GLO2 report, especially those about ongoing nature restoration projects. Nothing I’ve said here should be considered “dumping” on efforts by governments, private organizations, and individuals to take better care of the land through protective and restorative measures discussed in the report. I applaud these efforts, and I’ve been fortunate to have practiced and participated in some of them. Nonetheless, I am convinced that land conservation plans and initiatives will accomplish surprisingly little unless we stop ignoring — and begin addressing — root causes of the ecological crisis.