Charting a path for global action on land and drought

© UNCCD

Nearly 200 nations pledged to give land restoration and drought resilience top priority at the UNCCD’s COP16, citing its importance for both climate adaptation and food security. The International Drought Resilience Observatory, an AI-powered platform to improve drought readiness, and the establishment of Indigenous Peoples and local community caucuses for inclusive representation were among the 39 decisions made by the parties, even though they did not finalize a new global drought regime. According to UNCCD statistics, droughts cost $300 billion yearly, impact 1.8 billion people, and endanger industries including water and agriculture. More than $12 billion was committed by nations to address land issues, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable populations in pastoral and degraded rangelands. Important choices brought up issues like rangelands and sustainable agrifood systems, which are essential for carbon reserves and food security. Important preparations were made for a worldwide drought rule, which will be finalized at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026. Setting attendance records, the conference also focused on youth inclusion and private-sector involvement. COP16 President Abdulrahman Alfadley and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed stressed the need to address interrelated global concerns such as migration, biodiversity loss, and climate change immediately. Ibrahim Thiaw, the executive secretary of the UNCCD, emphasized the necessity of investing $2.6 trillion by 2030 to repair damaged land and increase drought resistance.

Private sector urged to act as world faces $23 trillion loss from land degradation

© ILO/Gastón Chedufau

Business executives met at COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss restoration, land degradation, and drought, acknowledging the pressing need for sustainable land management. Droughts have grown by 30% since 2000, according to the UN, and 40% of the world’s land is damaged, endangering livelihoods, agriculture, and water security. By 2050, the global economy might lose $23 trillion due to land degradation, and it would take $4.6 trillion to reverse the trend. The private sector plays a crucial role in integrating sustainable land management into business plans, according to UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. In his speech at the Business 4 Land (B4L) Forum, he called on companies to take three actions: changing their operations to incorporate sustainability, raising funds for land restoration, and working with governments to promote enabling regulations. Among the early achievements of COP16 were the Arab Coordination Group, OPEC Fund, Islamic Development Bank, and Saudi Arabia’s $12 billion pledges for land restoration. By 2030, B4L, UNCCD’s premier private-sector initiative, seeks to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land in order to improve drought resilience and attain Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). The economic and environmental advantages of sustainable practices and cross-sector collaboration for a resilient future were emphasized by leaders such as Henri Bruxelles of Danone and Philippe Zaouati, CEO of MIROVA.

Developing countries’ debt fears increase with new climate finance

Image: Teppono, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Flickr

The problem of climate debt is becoming worse for developing countries. Rich nations promised to contribute $300 billion a year in climate funding, mostly in the form of loans, which exacerbates already high debt levels. This limits nations’ capacity to react to climate change by making them choose between repaying debt and spending on essential services like healthcare and education. The growing frequency and intensity of climatic disasters force nations to borrow more money for recovery and adaptation efforts, which worsens the debt issue. Loans are frequently a burden for Bangladeshi communities recovering from cyclones and Indian farmers dealing with drought, for instance. The rate of development is gradual, despite efforts by organizations such as the Asian Development Bank to expand grant financing and provide more concessional loans. Potential remedies include climate-linked debt relief programs and debt-for-climate swaps, which enable nations to lower their debt loads while funding climate action. But more work must be done to solve this pressing problem. It is imperative that climate finance be rethought in order to support developing countries’ efforts to adapt to climate change without making their debt vulnerabilities worse.

Indonesia’s renewable energy plans may put forests at risk

Image: CIFOR-ICRAF, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Flickr

Indonesia is mainly depending on biofuels to move away from coal to reach net-zero emissions by 2060. Biofuels are a cleaner option, but producing them takes a lot of land, which could result in more deforestation in the nation’s important rainforests. The government intends to greatly expand the production of biofuels, such as bioethanol and palm oil, to satisfy the rising need for energy. Although there was a 2011 embargo, growing palm oil plantations have historically been associated with deforestation. Increased production of biofuel, especially if land is cleared for new plants, could accelerate deforestation, experts warn. Despite certain environmental advantages, biofuels can have a substantial overall carbon footprint when taking emissions from land-use change into account. Furthermore, for a sustainable energy transition, Indonesia should give priority to expanding its unrealized potential in renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal. Before raising production, critics contend that the government should prioritize restoring unproductive plantations and lowering palm oil exports to satisfy domestic demand. Using this strategy could assist reduce the environmental risks related to the production of biofuel and provide a more sustainable route to Indonesia’s net-zero objectives.

References

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158196

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1157801

https://www.eco-business.com/news/developing-countries-debt-fears-increase-with-new-climate-finance

https://www.eco-business.com/news/indonesias-renewable-energy-plans-may-put-forests-at-risk