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Degradation of Land is a Threat to Human Life, Says Saudi Government

The Deputy Environment Minister calls for urgent action as Riyadh prepares to host a global summit on the issue next month. Saudi Arabia has warned that the degradation of the world’s soils and landscapes threatens human life and must be addressed urgently. According to the Deputy Environment Minister, neglect of the land is eroding trillions of dollars from the global economy, hampering agriculture, disrupting water supplies, endangering children’s nutrition, and destroying essential ecosystems.

Land degradation and ways to combat it will be the focus of an upcoming global summit in Riyadh this December. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) meets every two years, but it often receives less attention than COPs on climate and biodiversity. As this year's host, Saudi Arabia plans to spotlight land management, inviting senior ministers and heads of state from around the world to draw financial support. This approach offers an unusual glimpse into Saudi Arabia's environmental priorities, especially given the global threats of climate change and water shortages.

In a rare interview with The Guardian, Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Environment Minister, cautioned against interpreting "desertification" too narrowly as an issue limited to arid regions. Instead, the UNCCD should address all vulnerable lands globally and focus on rescue and protection efforts. "This COP is about land degradation, land preservation, and drought," he said, emphasizing the importance of these issues for water security, food security, biodiversity, and human communities.

"Desertification indicates we haven't managed land well," added Faqeeha, who will play a prominent role supporting COP President-Designate Abdulrahman al-Fadley, Saudi Arabia's Environment and Water Minister. He highlighted that land degradation is widespread, with over 2 billion hectares globally degraded, and 55% of countries reporting significant degradation. The financial cost of land degradation is estimated at $6 trillion annually.

Without strong action to restore fertility and prevent over-exploitation, Faqeeha warned that affected land could triple by 2050. Land degradation also impacts human nutrition; children now receive fewer essential nutrients because degraded soils produce less nutritious food.

The UNCCD was established in 1992 alongside the UN Climate Change and Biodiversity Conventions. This year's climate COP29 will take place in Azerbaijan on November 11, while biodiversity COP16 will conclude in Colombia this week. Findings from these conventions will contribute to UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh. Of the three COPs, UNCCD has been "the least understood," Faqeeha noted.

Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, emphasized that Saudi Arabia should address climate at the Riyadh talks. He noted that as droughts and desertification worsen due to rising temperatures, especially in regions like the Middle East, it's essential to align climate action with sustainable land management.

Despite the interaction between desertification and climate change's effects on water cycles, Saudi Arabia resists linking UNCCD discussions to climate. "This COP isn't about Saudi Arabia; it's about global challenges," said Faqeeha. He noted that Saudi Arabia is merely facilitating the discussions, not leading them.

Meanwhile, the climate summit will focus on raising funds to help developing countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to extreme weather impacts. Although Saudi Arabia is a major oil producer, it remains classified as a developing country in climate discussions. This year, however, Saudi and other petro-states will face calls from developed countries to contribute to global climate funds—a request the Saudi government is expected to reject.

Faqeeha argued that the private sector, rather than COP funds, should be the primary source of funding to protect land from degradation. Investors and business leaders will be well-represented at the Riyadh summit.

According to Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia is a fitting location for a desertification COP given the region's vulnerability to desertification. He noted that Saudi Arabia has already undertaken initiatives to restore land, protect water resources, and preserve biodiversity. For example, the country is working on a system of terraces along a mountain range near the Red Sea to harvest rainfall, as part of the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to restore 40 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

In line with agreements at biodiversity COP16 in Colombia, where many countries committed to conserving at least 30% of their land, Faqeeha hopes the UNCCD COP will see similar commitments to restore highly degraded lands. "Not all countries have restoration targets yet," he remarked, adding that preventing further degradation through improved land management is also essential.