I'll never forget Maude Barlow's (a Canadian activist) timely address, last winter at the Chiles Center at University of Portland, on the process of
Desertification.
Context - Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems. It threatens the livelihoods of some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations on the planet. Desertification is largely caused by unsustainable use of scarce resources (water, soil, food, etc).
LINK:
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/index.htm
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOZcPYCzn3Y&list=PL28AB933774B88CC0&index= 1&feature=plpp_video"]Maude Barlow at University of Portland Part 3: A pulse of where the world is - YouTube[/nomedia]