92
To combat desertification, China has encircled Taklimakan Desert with a sand-blocking green belt
(peertube.mesnumeriques.fr)
At...what...cost? 
Sorry but
The desertification WILL stop
I have to wonder how these things will play out over decades.
Making even small changes to ecosystems can cause massive issues as chain reactions are created, and China has been undertaking massive geo-engineering projects.
I hope they play out positively and the world gets a framework on how to do it safely and sustainably.
Yeah, combating spreading desertification is good as it protects the existing ecosystems that surround the desert. But some people have a misguided belief that deserts are useless areas and greening entire deserts would be a net positive. Deserts are an incredibly complex environment, even if we know less about them than areas where we humans live in larger numbers.
We know the Sahara desert is responsible for soil replenishment of Carribbean islands and South America. The knock on effects of removing a desert could be disastrous.
China has actively been combating the spread of desert in the region, trying to return the local ecosystem to what it was like millennia ago, as far as I know, they aren't intended to turn every desert in the country into a forest, just trying to restore the natural environment to previous conditions.
But why is the desert spreading?
If it happened over a few millennia, wouldn't it be a natural process?
The Sahara was probably originally made by humans over farming/grazing the land in the first thousand years of agriculture. Egyptians even had interesting records of large rivers going through the area.
Search Lake Megachad. Basically it's a tale of ancient overgrazing of a fragile ecosystem causing a giant dust bowl and major expansion of deserts, causing one of earths largest lakes to almost disappear
Search Lake Megachad
This sounds like one of those cool america facts memes like, "environmentalists have been trying to save this bird species for decades. Look up Operation Condor"
It's worth noting that this was during the African Humid Period where all of North Africa had more rainfall than usual, so the Sahara's desertification afterwards may have been a return to normal
Human activities even before capitalism have created and spread desserts. Basically, humans have been clearing out forests to make crop lands since the dawn of agriculture. But crop lands are susceptible to desertification because tree trucks/canopies block wind, and their roots hold soil preventing erosion from wind/landslides/floods.
Capitalism and the industrial revolution speed up trends that previously took centuries and millenia into ones that occur over years and decades. There will likely come a time, if we don't reverse course, where the amazon will be deforested and become a dessert.
Dope ass shit
Ok the other hand I can't imagine the sort of ridiculous shit the right wing in the US would come up with to stop a green project like this. Such a dysfunctional empire. Also it goes without saying that Dems would be for this except they wouldn't fund this because I dunno Israel or something.
I can’t imagine the sort of ridiculous shit the right wing in the US would come up with to stop a green project like this
There is no short term profit in this, therefore it is automatically considered useless megalomaniacal project in US.
I wonder what happens to the sand at the edge when it can't go anywhere in the long term.
Here in the UK we get regular dust seasons because sand rides the Gulf Stream from Africa and makes cars/other things dirty. I don't know if that sand has an ecological effect and process that goes along with it but I struggle to believe it doesn't do something in some way. Eliminating the ability of that to occur would cause something to happen longterm.
Also I assume the sand at the edge of the desert will just pile up eventually? Like when rubbish piles up at the edge of a curb. Will it just get bigger and bigger? I wonder what happens if the dune gets large enough.
Not saying this stuff shouldn't be done, I'm just curious.
I don't know if that sand has an ecological effect and process that goes along with it but I struggle to believe it doesn't do something in some way.
The Amazon, like most tropical rainforests, is poor in potassium and other leachable minerals. Sand from the Sahara brings in new minerals.
China's doing Dune 2 shit to the planet meanwhile Trump is telling the Germans how bad it was when the nazis got their shit wrecked.
Can we have one Sino thread without bringing up the Americans?
no :(
projects like this one exist in contrast to china's geopolitical rivals so probably not
I don't see this as a geopolitical project. I see it as a domesticated effort, with perhaps some cross-border cooperation.
Let the Americans have their own issues; occupy yourself with your own.
whgtaboutims 
this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
92 points (100.0% liked)
sino
8297 readers
1 users here now
This is a comm for news, information, and discussion on anything China and Chinese related.
Rules:
-
Imperialism will result in a ban.
-
Sinophobic content will be removed.
Newcomer Welcome Wiki
FAQ:
China Guides:
Multimedia:
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS