Chile and Climate Change

I was skimming through the news this evening, and I came across some information that the Chilean government has put out on the biosphere. Basically, they were speaking about how the deserts are starting to take over and gain more land. Not only are the deserts taking over, but the glaciers are starting to melt down, causing water levels to rise. This is so bad because those glaciers are crucial to the future, and the fact that they are melting now means that the future of the Earth may not be stable. The Earth is capable of withstanding change, but when the change is rapid, the Earth may not be able to handle it.
As for Chile, the glaciers are melting at a unstable rate. The area is already experiencing problems with minimal rainfall and rising water levels, which could be problematic for fertile land. Obviously, all of this causes problems for the species that are living on this land. The problem of extinction is very possible. This makes one think, what can be done? What can we do to prevent these problems? Sadly, when I hear these things I feel like there is no hope because so much damage has already been done, but then I have to remember that, there may not be a positive change but more damage can be prevented.