Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

80 grazing, deforestation and poor irrigation by humans play a significant role in the problem of desertification. The consequences of desertification can be disastrous. Its main effect is the loss of primary resources (fertile land, vegetation and crops) that sustain economic activity. Although the effects of desertification are most alarming in poor regions, resulting loss of productivity is detrimental globally. Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the UN, warned that “desertification (…) affects one-third of the Earth’s surface, endangering 1.2 billion people in more than 100 countries.”. In recognition of the potentially catastrophic consequences of desertification, the international community created the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which came into force in 1996, was ratified by Chile in 1997 and has currently been ratified by 195 countries.). This is the only binding international agreement that links the environment and development with the sustainable management of soils. The UNCCD addresses desertification worldwide, with a primary focus on Africa, where it is particularly pernicious. In 2007, the UNCCD published a ten-year strategy for desertification reduction, which was in effect from 2008 to 2018, and in 2013, it established goals to end water scarcity through sustainable use of water resources and awareness of drought. Despite the UNCCD, desertification has not decreased and is even intensifying. Since the problems caused by desertification are limited to individual, mainly low-income countries, virtually no internationally coordinated effort has been made to provide concrete financial assistance. In other words, since affected nations face the problem within their own borders, it seems to be the responsibility of each nation individually rather than the international community as a whole. The loss of ecosystems (marine and terrestrial) could increase if economic development does not progressively adopt sustainability standards that have a lesser impact on ecosystems and biodiversity. This poses the challenge of concentrating competences on the care of natural resources and biodiversity, as well as generating new and more efficient instruments for conservation. d) Ozone depletion Ozone depletion poses complex problems that have led to international disagreements regarding coordinated efforts to reverse the issue. However, unlike global warming, ozone depletion has been successfully controlled through international cooperation and may serve as a model for other global environmental protection efforts.