Skip to content

Nations challenged to restore land fertility from desert landscapes

Farming, logging, mining and other human activities add to climate impacts on land, costing up to 17% of global GDP.

Desert dunes beyond an arid landscape near Gibeon in the Hardap region of Namibia
Desert dunes beyond an arid landscape near Gibeon in the Hardap region of Namibia (AN/Rob Oo)

Land degradation from farming, logging, mining and other human activities adds to the climate crisis and costs the world up to 17% of global GDP, says a U.N. official who heads a major treaty intended to prevent more land from turning into desert landscapes.

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD, told reporters on Friday that efforts to restore land can dramatically improve people's livelihoods by reducing economic and climate risks.

This article is for paying subscribers only

Join now

Already have an account? Log in

Latest