Global affects of desertification - Millenium Report

From the Millenium Report on Desertification:

"The low level of human well-being and high poverty of dry-
land populations vary according to level of aridity and global
region. This is further exacerbated by high population growth
rates in drylands. For example, the population in drylands grew
at an average rate of 18.5% during the 1990s—the highest
growth rate of any MA system. A number of policy factors also
contribute to the poor human well-being, such as political mar-
ginalization and the slow growth of health and education infra-
structure, facilities, and services. The uneven level of these
driving factors in various locations and at different times has
diverse societal impacts across drylands. The worst situations can
be found in the drylands of Asia and Africa; these regions lag
well behind drylands in the rest of the world. (C22.6.2, C6.6).
Dryland populations are often socially and politically mar-
ginalized due to their impoverishment and remoteness from
centers of decision-making. This holds true even in some indus-
trial countries. As a consequence, these dryland populations are
Regional and Global Consequences of
Desertification beyond Drylands
Desertification has environmental impacts at the global
and regional scale. Affected areas may sometimes be located
thousands of kilometers away from the desertified areas.
Desertification-related processes such as reduction of vegetation
cover, for instance, increase the formation of aerosols and dust.
These, in turn, affect cloud formation and rainfall patterns, the
global carbon cycle, and plant and animal biodiversity. For
example, visibility in Beijing is often adversely affected by dust
storms originating in the Gobi Desert in springtime. Large dust
storms emanating from China affect the Korean peninsula and
Japan and are observed to even have an impact on North Ameri-
can air quality.
An increase in desertification-related dust storms is widely
considered to be a cause of ill health (fever, coughing, and
sore eyes) during the dry season. Dust emanating from the
East Asian region and the Sahara has also been implicated in
respiratory problems as far away as North America and has
affected coral reefs in the Caribbean. "

Full text of report at: http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.aspx