As UN Conference On Country Opens, 1/3 Of Spain Faces Desertification, "Africanization" Of Climate

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A UN conference on desertification underway in Madrid has thrown the spotlight on the scope of the problem in Spain, which environmentalists say is suffering from an "Africanization" of its climate.

Nearly one-third of Spain's roughly 500,000 square kilometres (200,000 square miles) faces a "significant risk" of desertification, making it one of Europe's most affected nations, according to the Spanish environment ministry. Speaking Monday on the opening day of the forum, Crown Prince Felipe, the heir to the Spanish throne, said Spain was "especially sensitive to the problems derived from desertification" which he called "one of the greatest challenges faced by humanity".

Over 2,000 representatives from the 191 nations that have signed the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), adopted in Paris in June 1994, are taking part in the gathering which wraps up on September 14. Six percent of Spain's soil has eroded irreversibly, according to the UN.

While the most affected areas are Spain's Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco and its southeastern Mediterranean coast, only the northernmost regions of Galica, Asturias and Cantabria have been completely spared the effects of desertification.

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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/UN_conference_highlights_Spains_threat_from_desertification_999.html