Up to two fifths of the planet’s land is of poor quality, affecting 50 per cent of humanity and reducing domestic productivity, the United Nations has warned.
A report into land resources across the globe concluded that restoration is vital in combating hunger and climate change.
“Conserving, restoring and using our land resources sustainably is a global imperative, one that requires action on a crisis footing … business as usual is not a viable pathway for our continued survival and prosperity,” said executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw.
Released before the UNCCD’s Cop15 in Ivory Coast next month, the Global Land Outlook 2 report highlights the worldwide “imperative” of using land sustainability to ward off humanitarian crises while increasing economic output.
“Investing in large-scale land restoration is a powerful, cost-effective tool to combat desertification, soil erosion and loss of agricultural production. As a finite resource and our most valuable natural asset, we cannot afford to continue taking land for granted,” Mr Thiaw said.
Land degradation is described as the persistent or long-term loss of natural habitats including forests, grasslands and savannahs, and is linked to rising poverty, hunger and environmental pollution.
About half the world’s annual economic output – $US 44 trillion – is being challenged by the loss of “finite natural capital”, the UNCCD suggests.
Conversely, the report says the economic returns of reducing degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss could be as high as $140trn a year.
“Every single dollar invested in land restoration generates $7 to $30 in income,” said Mr Thiaw at a round-table discussion on the new report.
Not only is it “doable”, he said, but “desirable”.
“The good news is that when you restore land, you restore economy, you build resilient societies and you fight many of the other sustainable development goals.”
Humans have already transformed 70 per cent of the Earth’s land from its natural state, with up to an estimated 40 per cent of the world’s total land area degraded, contributing to environmental disasters and global warming.
Mr Thiaw said many of the climate change goals set out in the Paris Agreement could be reached by focusing on the restoration of land and that a “business as usual” approach was no longer tenable.
“Modern agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity. We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80 per cent of deforestation, 70 per cent of freshwater use and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss,” he said.
Agriculture is the “most important driver” of land degradation and biodiversity loss, he said, and he stressed the need for governments to remove “harmful subsidy” policies.
An annual $700 billion is spent by governments worldwide on subsidising the fossil fuel and agricultural industries.
Only 1 per cent of farms control more than 70 per cent of the world’s agricultural land and more than 70 per cent of tropical forest was cleared for agriculture between 2013 and 2019 in breach of national laws and regulations.
The UNCCD is calling for the restoration of 5 billion hectares (50 million square km) by 2050 using measures such as agroforestry, grazing management and assisted natural regeneration, but current international pledges would cover only 1 billion hectares.
Large-scale restoration of land would increase crop yields, improve the water-holding capacity of soil and reduce carbon emissions.
The UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment said the largely desert country was prone to land degradation, making it all the more vital to find ways to preserve existing ecosystems.
Speaking at its launch, Mariam Al Mheiri lauded the report for presenting science and nature-based solutions to climate change and reiterated the UAE’s aim to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030.
The report projects that failure to to reverse degradation could lead to the further deterioration of land the size of South America by 2050 – and an additional 69 gigatonnes of carbon emissions.
The results, it says, would be “a persistent, long-term decline in vegetative productivity”, with Sub-Saharan Africa worst affected. East Africa is currently facing an acute hunger crisis with millions of people facing famine.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Boston%20Strangler
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
