"RIYADH - Restoring the world's degraded land and holding back its deserts will require at least $2.6 trillion in investment by the end of the decade, the U.N. executive overseeing global talks on the issue told Reuters, quantifying the cost for the first time.
More frequent and severe droughts as a result of climate change combined with the food needs of a rising population meant societies were at greater risk of upheaval unless action was taken, Ibrahim Thiaw said ahead of talks in Riyadh this week.
The two-week meeting aims to strengthen the world's drought resilience, including by toughening up the legal obligations of states, laying out strategic next steps and securing finance.
A large chunk of the around $1 billion a day that is required will need to come from the private sector, said Thiaw, who is Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)."
Simon Jessop and Pesha Magid report for Reuters December 1, 2024.
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