Anti-desertification efforts in China's Inner Mongolia - Kubuqi

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Desertification threatens the environment as well as local economies in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. An experiment is being carried out in the Kubuqi desert to control desertification and even turn the area green.

It took only two years to build a large solar power station in the Kubuqi desert where, in thousands of years there had been nothing but sands.

The solar power station generates 500 million kilowatt-hours electricity every year and creates income for local people.

The solar power station was part of the efforts of a private company called Elion to roll back desertification and develop desert economy in the area for the past 30 years.

The desert economy model in Kubuqi has turned 6,000 square kilometers of desert green, created 500 billion yuan in value and helped 100,000 farmers out of poverty.

Desertification affects over a fifth of China's territory and a third of the country’s population. After years of efforts in legislation, policy, finance, mechanism and technology innovation, China has become one of the few countries in the world that has reduced the areas under such threat.