Gobi Desert Devouring China

Each year, the Gobi Desert devours 2,460 square miles of Chinese soil, an area roughly the size of Delaware,” writes Free Market Investor Chris Hancock. “Violent sandstorms threaten to conquer Beijing. Dunes now tower just 43 miles from the ancient capital…firmly marching south, like Sherman through the soft Georgia pines, at a brisk 12-15 mile per year clip:

Why is Asia’s largest desert growing so quickly? It is because of a process scientists call desertification. Basically, China’s rapid economic growth comes at a great price, as the fast-approaching desert threatens to blanket Beijing before the Summer Olympics in 2008.

The solution? The ‘Green Wall.’ Beijing officials set aside $8 billion to construct a natural wall of trees spanning more than 2,000 miles.

But they’re no match. Trees need water. And air pollution inhibits precipitation. Researchers from Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences found that on hazy days, precipitation from the top of Mount Hua in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province is cut by up to 50%.

Consequently, one-quarter of China currently finds itself buried beneath sand… two out of every three major Chinese cities have less water than they need. Cities in northeast China have roughly five-seven years left before they completely run dry.

Story taken from
http://www.agorafinancial.com/5min/category/todays-5-minutes/