Earth’s lands are drying out. Nations are trying to address it in talks this week

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🗞️ Driving the news: A U.N. report presented at the Riyadh summit warns that over 75% of Earth’s lands are experiencing drier conditions, mainly due to human-driven climate change, deforestation, and water scarcity
• Nations are negotiating measures to address drought and desertification, which threaten ecosystems, agriculture, and human survival
• Saudi Arabia has pledged $2.15 billion, while the Arab Coordination Group committed $10 billion for drought resilience

🔭 The context: The summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia, is focused on the growing issue of land degradation and desertification
• The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification emphasizes that aridity is increasingly irreversible
• The report highlights the impacts of global warming, where drier land exacerbates migration, food insecurity, and economic challenges

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Drier lands reduce biodiversity and escalate water shortages, creating environmental and humanitarian crises
• Farming faces severe productivity losses, threatening global food security
• Coordinated international action is critical to mitigate climate and ecological tipping points

⏭️ What's next: Nations must decide on binding protocols for drought response, including funding from richer countries to vulnerable regions
• Improved forecasting, water management, and reforestation are highlighted as immediate adaptation strategies
• The effectiveness of these measures depends on global collaboration and stronger commitments to curb climate change

💬 One quote: “The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were. This change is redefining life on Earth” — Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Chief

📈 One stat: By 2100, nearly 5 billion people could face drier conditions, up from one-quarter of the global population today

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