This policy brief, written by Hermann Kam and Melanie Muro of IEEP for TERRASAFE, highlights the growing challenges posed by desertification—land degradation in the continent’s dry regions—and discusses how intensifying climate change and agricultural pressures exacerbate the problem.
It also provides an overview of key EU-level policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy and the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, explaining why they often fall short of comprehensively tackling desertification. Finally, it underscores the urgent need for stronger, more coordinated measures to protect soils, secure water resources, and preserve livelihoods across Europe.
Read it here: The increasing threat of desertification to Europe (2025) by Hermann Kam and Melanie Muro, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (free to view).