Land degradation is increasing by 1 million square kilometers per year

Land degradation is expanding globally at a rate of 1 million square kilometers each year, undermining efforts to stabilize the climate, protect nature and ensure sustainable food supplies, highlights a new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK ), cited by Guardian.

The degraded area is now 15 million square kilometers, an area larger than Antarctica, the scientific report also said. According to its authors, an urgent course correction is needed to "avoid the misuse of land that irrevocably compromises the planet's capacity to sustain human and environmental well-being."

The document aims to boost global efforts for sustainable land management ahead of this week's 200-nation summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It is the least known of the three international meetings after the COP Climate and Biodiversity Conferences. The new report highlights how all these problems are interconnected and contribute to a series of environmental and humanitarian crises.

"If we fail to recognize the fundamental role of the earth and take appropriate action, the consequences will permeate every aspect of life and extend far into the future, intensifying the challenges for future generations," said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Tiau.

What problems are indicated in the report

The PIK study, titled "Stepping back from the chasm," notes that until recently, terrestrial ecosystems absorbed nearly a third of human-caused carbon dioxide pollution, even as those emissions have halved. But over the past decade, the capacity of trees and soil to absorb excess CO₂ has shrunk by 20% due to deforestation and climate change.

The main culprit, according to the report, is unsustainable agricultural practices, which are responsible for 80% of forest loss. These techniques, which involve heavy use of chemicals, pesticides and water diversion, also erode soil, reduce water supplies and pollute ecosystems. In the short term, this intensive extraction may be more profitable, but soon leads to lower yields and poorer nutritional quality of the crops. In an increasing number of cases, this leads to desertification and dust.

The report identified several hotspots of degradation in arid regions such as South Asia, northern China, the US high plains and California, and the Mediterranean. One-third of humanity now lives in drylands, which comprise three-quarters of Africa. This has dire humanitarian consequences, as low-income countries and socioeconomic groups are disproportionately affected. Women face increased workloads and health threats, while children are at greater risk of malnutrition and educational gaps. Additional pressure comes from climate disruptions, which intensify land degradation through prolonged droughts and increased flooding.

The authors emphasize that the report shows the importance of taking an integrated approach to these problems.

"Policymakers must strengthen their focus on land as a cornerstone of global sustainability. Ignoring land degradation risks pushing humanity out of its safe workspace, exacerbating resource pressures, poverty, migration and conflict. "Policymakers need to pay attention to both the environmental and socio-economic impacts of land use," says Claudia Huneke, a scientist at PIK who worked on the report.

The UN is calling for $2,6 trillion in investment

"Restoring the world's degraded land and retaining its deserts will require at least $2,6 trillion in investment by the end of the decade." More frequent and severe droughts as a result of climate change, combined with the food needs of a growing population, mean that societies are at greater risk of shocks unless action is taken," added Ibrahim Tiau.

According to him, most of these funds will have to come from the private sector.

“The majority of land restoration investment in the world comes from public money. And that's not right. Because essentially the main driver of land degradation in the world is food production, which is in the hands of the private sector. Currently, it only provides 6% of the money needed to restore damaged land," Tiau further stated.

To reach $2,6 trillion in funding (almost the annual economic output of France), the world needs to raise an additional $278 billion after 2022. only $66 billion was invested, the UN said.