Climate change accelerates desertification...UN "requires 3,650 trillion in response funds"

The United Nations estimates that at least $2.6 trillion and 3,650 trillion won in our money will be needed by 2030 to restore the world's devastated land and prevent desertification.

According to Reuters on the 2nd, UN Convention on the Prevention of Desertification (UNCCD) Secretary-General Ibrahim Tiau disclosed the UN's estimates, citing global desertification issues caused by climate change and increased food production.

Tiau noted that climate change is making droughts worse and more frequent, and that population growth is increasing food demand.

At the same time, he pointed out that if humanity does not act, the risk of the global community suffering a "catastrophic change" is greater.

He also stressed that the private sector should play a bigger role in responding to land degradation and desertification.

In particular, he said only 6% of the funds for the restoration of damaged land come from the private sector at the moment and most of the funds are covered by the public, stressing that they should take more responsibility as the main cause of land degradation is private food production.

President Tiau's message came at the opening of the 16th Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD.

At the General Assembly, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from this day to the 13th, the parties will discuss ways to supplement each country's legislation and secure funds to cope with land degradation and desertification.

According to a United Nations service research report released on the same day, about 15 million square kilometers of global land, which is larger than Antarctica, has already been devastated.

In addition, the report warns that the wilderness is increasing by about 1 million square kilometers per year.

The UNCCD is one of the three major environmental conventions of the United Nations, along with the Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In 1992, the Rio Conference declared Agenda 21 and signed the agreement by determining to lay the foundation for regional and international cooperation to prevent desertification.