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Millions of straw bundles and solar pumps are filling the Chinese desert after decades of suffocating sand; the plan is controversial, seems like a last resort, irrigates 200 trees, and may even slow desertification now.
In the Chinese desert, millions of straw bundles and solar-powered pumps irrigate trees and attempt to curb desertification with bold environmental engineering.
In the Chinese desert, the sand that was suffocating villages and reaching Beijing spurred a last-ditch plan: straw mats stabilize dunes, solar pumps draw water from 100 meters away and irrigate 200 trees along the Tarim highway, halting desertification and sparking a global debate today.
straw buried in 6-meter squares to block wind, hold back dunes, and create microclimates that retain moisture long enough for a seedling not to die on the first day.
summers near 50°C, winters below -20°C, storms that engulf villages, and dust capable of traveling thousands of kilometers, pushing the country toward a solution that blends straw, solar energy, and massive planting.
The Taklamacan Desert is described as a "sea of death" with approximately 337.000 km² of desolation. Between the Tian Shan mountain range to the north and the Kunlun mountain range to the south, moisture becomes trapped, resulting in extreme conditions: Each square meter receives only 5 liters of water per week.
Sandstorms can engulf villages without warning, farms are suffocated, rivers are pressured, and millions of people end up displaced from their homes.
residents even resorted to wearing masks more than 80 days a year not because of viruses, but because of sand that came from afar, traveling about 2.000 km do Chinese desert all the way to the capital.
In 1978 Then came the project known as the Belt and Road Initiative of the Three Norths, which the world came to call great green wall.
The ambition is to 4.500 km extension and 35 million hectares of trees, with 72 years ongoing work and expected completion date 2050.
create a living barrier capable of holding back sand, reducing storms, and altering the microclimate in critical areas.
The method began with something simple and brutally repeated: common farm straw transported in enormous volumes to the heart of Chinese desert.
teams dug shallow trenches and assembled a geometric grid, a chessboard in which Each square has sides of 6 meters.
The straw fences block the wind, stabilize the dunes, and create microclimates where the morning moisture gets trapped for a few more hours.
organic fertilizer while the roots seek deeper layers where the sand meets clay.
Pumping groundwater using fossil fuels generates CO2 and, ultimately, worsens desertification. The shift mentioned is to use the very advantage of Chinese desert Too much sun.
The Taklamacan River receives approximately 2.700 hours of sunshine per year Along the Tarim Desert Highway, the installation of 86 solar pumping stations in an excerpt from 436 km that cuts through the heart of the desert.
Each station has hundreds of photovoltaic panels that generate electricity to pump water from 100 meters deep and feed 200.000 trees along the highway, with subsurface drip irrigation.
The panels are also installed approximately 2 meters off the floor to allow plants to grow in the shade, keeping the soil cooler and moister. Species such as licorice, hawthorn and red willow sprouting in this artificial "ceiling".
thousands of heliostat mirrors that track the sun and concentrate light onto a central tower.
melted salt it is heated to about 540°C, generating high-pressure steam to power turbines.
The capacity mentioned is 50 MW, with a quoted cost of $130M monthly The crucial point is storage: the molten salt retains heat, so the plant continues generating energy even at night or when there are clouds.
Desert turned into a solar battery., providing energy and contributing to the fight against desertification in Chinese desert.
China built a road in the middle of nowhere: 300 km of paved road cutting the heart of Taklamacan.
The Tarim Desert Highway began in 1993, faced temperatures close to 50°C, sandstorms, and a construction process described as hellish.
The inauguration mentioned is in October 4th, 1995, and the cost appears as 1,75 billion, presented as equivalent to approximately $260M monthly, with layers of engineering beneath the asphalt: gravel, straw mats Geotextiles and other barriers are being used to prevent sand from engulfing the road.
this highway is described as an axis connecting solar farms, research stations, and even tourism, with edges of Chinese desert becoming a destination for ecotourism and dune buggy tours.
30 million hectares recovered and in a leap in the country's forest cover: from 10% in 1949 to more than 25% today.
82% less since the 1980s In addition to reducing the number of dusty days in the aforementioned regions, 100 to 30 per year.
these forests absorb more than 20 tons of CO2 per year, reinforcing the idea of "green lungs" in areas previously dominated by sand.
The central criticism is monoculture, with a predominance of poplars and willows: they grow quickly and are impressive, but have a short lifespan and can intensely suck up groundwater.
More than a billion trees have died. in northern China, erasing years of work.
international studies indicate a continuous expansion of desertification in some areas, despite the increase in forested area reported.
wrong trees insufficient rain and excessive irrigation draining the water table even further.
stop "counting trees" and start restoring complete ecosystems, with mixed forests, native species, grasses and shrubs, instead of just painting the Chinese desert in green.
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