The conditions are particularly bad in southern Italy, Spain and Greece. Even southern France is not immune but so far they do not admit it for political reasons. Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Russia have all reported signs of desertification. Beyond the Black Sea, there are belts of fast-degrading land stretching as far as Mongolia. In places such as drought-stricken Sardinia and Sicily, economic conditions are accelerating the problem.
Water is pumped from below ground, pulling salt water from the sea into the aquifers.
Imagine how much water it takes to keep an 18-hole golf course going for the tourists. The trouble is they use the money to buy petrol to drive the desalination plants for more water and that makes global warming worse. In the end it means more deserts. We have to stop this cycle. Italy has a programme of helping the countries of North Africa to combat desertification, partly in order to stem the increasing tide of refugees attempting to reach Europe.