Mon Dec 09 09:33:16 UTC 2024: ## UN Report Reveals Expanding Global Aridity, Threatening Billions

**Riyadh, Saudi Arabia –** A new United Nations report released at a summit in Riyadh paints a stark picture of the escalating global land degradation crisis. The report reveals that over three-quarters of the Earth’s land experienced drier conditions between 1970 and 2020, a trend that is irreversibly changing life on the planet. By the end of the century, nearly five billion people could be affected by this expanding aridity, up from a quarter of the global population today.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) report, released Monday, highlights the interconnected impacts of climate change, deforestation, and water scarcity. Increased evaporation due to rising global temperatures is making water less available for humans, plants, and animals, significantly impacting agriculture and food security. The report also warns of increased migration due to erratic rainfall and land degradation, particularly in already arid regions like southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The Riyadh summit, which concludes Friday, brings nations together to discuss strategies for combating droughts and long-term land degradation. A major point of contention is the financing of drought response measures, with disagreements on whether wealthier nations should provide funding to vulnerable countries. While Saudi Arabia and the Arab Coordination Group have pledged significant funding, the UN estimates that droughts cost $125 billion worldwide between 2007 and 2017.

The report emphasizes the need for collaborative international action, recommending improved land use practices, water efficiency measures (such as drip irrigation), enhanced monitoring systems, and large-scale reforestation projects. While recovery from drought is possible, the UNCCD stresses the need for lasting adaptation strategies to counter this “unrelenting menace.” However, longer-term solutions such as curbing climate change remain largely unaddressed at the summit.

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