One billion hectares that could cut pandemic and climate risks

14 December 2020
Statement

By UNCCD Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw for The Africa Report

The Climate Ambition Summit of this month marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. World leaders meeting online are being asked to deliver stronger, more ambitious commitments that will spark action to halt the unfolding climate crisis. Restoring degraded land contributes towards this objective.

Land is the basis of our food, feed, and fibre systems. It is home to the biodiversity that supports these systems. It is a provider of ecosystem services such as clean water and climate regulation. Its degradation releases gigatons of warming gases in the atmosphere and has negatively impacted 3.2 billion people globally.