Restoring the world’s degraded land and curbing desert expansion will require a minimum investment of $2.6 trillion by 2030, according to Ibrahim Thiaw, the UN executive leading global talks on the issue.
Speaking to reporters, Thiaw provided this estimate for the first time, emphasising the urgency of the situation.
Rising populations and the intensifying impacts of climate change, including more frequent and severe droughts, are increasing risks to societal stability.
“The bulk of the investments on land restoration in the world is coming from public money. And that is not right. Because essentially the main driver of land degradation in the world is food production… which is in the hands of the private sector,” Thiaw stated ahead of discussions in Riyadh this week.
The two-week meeting in Saudi Arabia aims to bolster global drought resilience. Key objectives include strengthening states’ legal commitments, outlining future strategies, and mobilising substantial financing. Thiaw highlighted the critical role of the private sector, which currently contributes just 6% of the required funds.
“How come that one hand is degrading the land and the other hand has the charge of restoring it and repairing it?” he questioned, stressing the importance of government policies and regulations in guiding land use.
As the global population grows, the need to double food production on existing farmland underscores the necessity of private sector involvement. However, bridging the annual funding gap of $278 billion remains a significant challenge.
In 2022, only $66 billion was invested in land restoration, far below the required $2.6 trillion—nearly equivalent to France’s annual economic output.
The Riyadh talks follow recent UN events addressing biodiversity, climate change, and plastics, where insufficient funding was a recurring theme.
A UN-backed report released Sunday warned that land degradation is
“undermining Earth’s capacity to sustain humanity” and, if left unchecked, would “pose challenges for generations.”
Currently, around 15 million square kilometres of land—an area larger than Antarctica—are degraded, with an additional 1 million square kilometres lost annually.
Achieving consensus on tougher legal commitments among nations may prove difficult.
“Some countries are not ready to have another legally binding instrument,” Thiaw noted, though others argue it is a critical step forward.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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