Every year, millions of hectares of land is degraded and lost due to a variety of man-made factors. This has a detrimental impact on the climate and is one of the root causes of global warming. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, bind the soil preventing erosion and stabilise the water level, thus improving the fertility of the land. It is one of the most effective ways of fighting land degradation, reducing the carbon footprint and mitigating climate change. 

Green Hope believes that young people have a responsibility to fight land degradation and thus ,we organized a tree planting event spread over 2 days , wherein we planted over 150 saplings .The trees used for plantation were chosen keeping in mind Dubai?s hot weather conditions and local  soil conditions.

Our volunteers worked hard over the course of two days and managed the whole planting process from start to finish. It was extremely fulfilling to be able to contribute to the ?greening? of our environment. We were assisted in our work by the landscaping personnel and it was a learning experience for us as we got a first hand exposure to the various types of soils , the irrigation systems and the type of fertilisers which are most suitable for supporting this process.

Globally , land degradation costs an estimated US$40 billion annually, without taking into account hidden costs of increased fertilizer use, loss of biodiversity and loss of unique landscapes. The consequences of land degradation are reduced land productivity, socio-economic problems, including uncertainty in food security, migration, limited development and damage to ecosystems. Degraded land is costly to reclaim and, if severely degraded, may no longer provide a range of ecosystem functions and services with a loss of the goods and many other potential environmental, social, economic and non-material benefits that are critical for society and development.

Thus , as young people , it is imperative that all of us take steps within our means to combat land degradation.