“The most massive tsunami, perfect storm, is bearing down upon us.”

I came across this video yesterday that I felt compelled to share here on my blog today. The video is from the recent TED conference held in Long Beach, California and is presented by Allan Savory, a biologist who has been investigating new ways to help combat the increasing scourge of desertification.

Savory offers compelling evidence that one of the most successful methods for converting deserts and drylands back into grasslands is to use increased numbers of livestock in controlled grazing patterns that mimic the natural patterns of migrating herds of animals. It’s an idea which goes against your intuitive beliefs about overgrazing and land management, but from the examples of success that Savory has had with the communities he has worked with, this looks incredibly promising.

If you’re not convinced that desertification is as serious as is being made out to be, just take a look at the map below from Savory’s presentation.

Global Desertification – NASA

Now, almost two-thirds(!) of the world is classified as desert or drylands…and it’s increasing.

I first started looking into this subject matter in 2007 and began documenting the effects of desertification in north and north-west China the same year. I worked on this subject matter for over 2 years, travelling across the northern deserts from Beijing to the borders with Pakistan documenting the expansion of  drylands and the subsequent impacts on people throughout the country. To see more of the work, please go to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting website.

Desertification in China. Ningxia Province. 2008

I really hope that this TED presentation reaches as many people as possible (there are 165,000+ views and counting so far) because this is an underreported crisis that has been sneaking up on humanity for a very long time. It’s time that the issue was properly acknowledged in the mainstream media and hopefully Savory’s call to action will be heard by those who can make changes in affected communities throughout the world.

A quick post today to share with you a great video from a TED talk by David Griffin, former Director of Photography, at National Geographic. It’s a few years old now but it’s well worth your time to watch, in case you missed it the first time around.

From TED: “The photo director for National Geographic, David Griffin knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.”