Desertification Depletes One Million Square Kilometers Every Year

2025-06-17 07:21:50

(MENAFN) Tuesday marks the observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, spotlighting a stark reality: every year, desertification depletes 1 million square kilometers of fertile land, with almost 40% of the planet’s terrestrial surface now classified as degraded.

Since 1994, the United Nations has officially recognized June 17 as “Desertification and Drought Day,” aiming to boost awareness and drive global action against the escalating threats of desertification, land degradation, and drought, as outlined by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

This year’s observance adopts the theme “Restore the land; Unlock the opportunities,” emphasizing the critical importance of land restoration and aiming to ignite a trillion-dollar restoration economy by 2030, starting with ambitious initiatives launching in 2025.

Currently, land degradation affects nearly 40% of the Earth’s surface, impacting over 3 billion people worldwide and triggering severe consequences for climate stability, biodiversity, and human livelihoods.

Economic damages linked to land degradation, desertification, and drought reach a staggering $878 billion each year, according to UNCCD data, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated global response.

The UNCCD Global Mechanism stresses that reversing land degradation demands a continuous investment of $1 billion daily between 2025 and 2030.

The global ambition centers on restoring 15 million square kilometers of damaged land by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

“I urge governments, businesses, and communities to answer the call and accelerate action on our shared global commitments on sustainable land use. We must reverse degradation and boost finance for restoration – including by unlocking private investment,” stated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a message released on June 10 in honor of the day.

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