International Day for the Fight Against Desertification and Drought 2025

International Day for the Fight Against Desertification and Drought 2025: 3.2 billion people suffer. It is calculated that practically Half of the earth’s surface is affected by land lossand experts in the field ensure that investment in restoration, as are sustainable energy, are profitable options to help mitigate desertificationwhich has become a world effect causing a number of repercussions such as droughtforced migration, and access to food.

Sustainable energy sources, including solar and wind, can help communities around the world to reverse desertification and loss of land, according to Ibrahim ThiawExecutive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Fight Desertification.

We talked with Ibrahim Thiaw About him World Day to Fight Desertification and Drought 2025which is celebrated today June 17, to better understand this phenomenon and how it can be controlled.

Ibrahim Thiaw: Desertification is happening both local and worldwide. If we do not address it at the local level, we can never control it worldwide. Global policies and decisions are needed. The repercussions are enormous in terms of food safety and sovereignty. It also causes forced migrations.

If people can no longer produce food in their land, they will emigrate. As we have seen, for example, in the Sahel or in Haiti, it can have serious consequences for world security.

When people fight for access to land and water, more conflicts are generated. We are seeing more of this, and has consequences on the homogeneity of communities and national economies.

It is estimated that up to 50% of the world GDP could be lost from here to 2050 due to the problems of agriculture and food production, unless we address the question of land loss and desertification.

Loss of land by desertification

Ibrahim Thiaw: Land loss is being produced throughout the world and soil degradation affects both arid and less arid lands. But in regards to arid lands and desertificationit is estimated that half of the earth’s surface is affected by the desertification.

It may be more striking to say that 3.2 billion people, that is, a third of the world’s population are affected by it.

One hundred million hectares of land are degraded every year, an area of ​​the size of Egypt. We have to stop land degradation, but we also have to restore 1500 million hectares of land.

How will it do it?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Improving agriculture techniques, reducing the impact we are having on the earth in terms of ore extraction and other extractive industries. Also It is important that we reduce pressure in terms of human activities In some parts of the world to diversify the economy and create more opportunities to generate income.

Restoring degraded land is not an activity for undertaking, but it is absolutely essential to provide more food security and reduce conflicts.

Each dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to 30 dollars in economic benefits, so investment in restoration activities is quite profitable from the economic point of view.

This is not only the responsibility of local communities, but also of governments and, crucially, in the private sector, because the greatest driver of land use in the world is the great agriculture.

Small developing countries

Ibrahim Thiaw: No. It is a global phenomenon that affects all countries, including the United States, India, China or Pakistan.

But the impact is much more serious in small countries, and in small economies that have no reservations, insurance systems to protect their population. And the level of vulnerability is much greater in communities whose income is based solely on the income that can be generated from the Earth.

Desertification does not exist in isolation

Ibrahim Thiaw: The desertification It is an amplifier of Climate change. Climate change is an amplifier of the desertification Because, of course, with extreme phenomena there are also serious repercussions on land and local communities and economies.

So, basically, they interact with each other and, therefore, it is important to have a more complete global vision. It is a mistake to think that biodiversity or earth can be protected without addressing the climatic issue and vice versa.

Responsible economies

It seems that great impulse will be needed by governments and private sector to make a difference

Ibrahim Thiaw: Yes, we must not rule out all the efforts made by local communities day after day. They need much more support from governments. They also need subsidies to the agricultural industry, which is destroying the environment.

Public money that, in some cases, is destroying the environment should be used to rebuild economies. Therefore, It is not necessarily about injecting more money, but of better spending what we have.

I guess some will say that it is too optimistic to think that governments will change their way of spending money

Ibrahim Thiaw: Well, no, it makes sense politically. As a taxpayer, I would like to see where my money is going. If it is invested in activities that are destroying my environment and creating ecological anxiety in my children, destroying the subsistence means of my communities, then, as a voter, I would insist that my government invest my money in other areas that would generate more income and create more sustainability.

Hopeful energy

You are from Mauritania, in the Sahel. Has he witnessed the degradation of the Earth?

Ibrahim Thiaw: The situation is very sad. I have seen the degradation of the earth throughout my life. But at the same time, I also have a lot of hope because I see that positive changes are coming. I see that the youngest generation is aware that the trend must be invest.

I see more farmers and shepherds trying to put on their part. I see more interventions from the international community, including the humanitarian world, which invests in land recovery. Therefore, I see a movement that gives me some hope that, if we join our efforts and work collaboratively, it will be possible to invest the trend.

Y The greatest hope that I have is energy, which was the lost link for development and for small and medium enterprises. Energy is now accessible in remote places thanks to our ability to take advantage of solar and wind energy.

And the possibility of combining energy and agriculture is very positivesince you can reap water, store food, reduce food loss. You can process those foods to create chains at the local level.