Reversing desertification and preserving an existing desert, which is what they're doing, is good.
But deserts are brimming with life. The notion that they aren't stems from a desire for deserts to be "productive" in some way (usually agriculturally, see the Israeli propaganda of "making the desert bloom"). Calling Deserts "dead" is anglo-colonizer nonsense and you should purge that idea from your mind.
Is there no ecological downside to de-desertification?
since the desert's been expanding for a good while (climate change, modern farming, overgrazing), trying to turn that back probably isnt that bad.
Are you asking... at what cost?
It depends on the desert. But a vast majority of lands that china restores was formerly cultivated land destroyed by centuries of farming.
less water for the agriculture and drinking, but it's probably a good idea to reduce regional reliance on agriculture in a desert these days anyway
Does bringing life to a place without it have downsides for life? I doubt it.
Reversing desertification and preserving an existing desert, which is what they're doing, is good.
But deserts are brimming with life. The notion that they aren't stems from a desire for deserts to be "productive" in some way (usually agriculturally, see the Israeli propaganda of "making the desert bloom"). Calling Deserts "dead" is anglo-colonizer nonsense and you should purge that idea from your mind.
Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for helping me self-crit!