UN Report Highlights Urgent Need to Address Deforestation and Unsustainable Agriculture Leading to Unprecedented Land Degradation

Riyadh, Dec 1 (NationPress) A significant new scientific report was released on Sunday, just before the commencement of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), outlining a critical need for a shift in global food production and land use to prevent irreversible harm to the planet's ability to sustain human and ecological health.

Under the guidance of Professor Johan Rockström at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), in collaboration with UNCCD, the report, titled Stepping Back from the Precipice: Transforming Land Management to Stay Within Planetary Boundaries, was unveiled as nearly 200 nations prepare to gather for COP16 starting on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The report synthesizes insights from about 350 information sources to assess land degradation and the potential for action from a planetary boundaries perspective. It emphasizes that land serves as the foundation of Earth's stability, regulating climate, preserving biodiversity, maintaining freshwater systems, and providing essential resources like food, water, and raw materials.

It highlights that deforestation, urban expansion, and unsustainable agriculture are driving land degradation on a global scale, endangering not just various components of the Earth system but also human survival.

The decline of forests and soils further diminishes the planet's ability to manage the intertwined crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, creating a vicious cycle of negative impacts.

“If we neglect to recognize the critical importance of land and fail to take necessary actions, the repercussions will resonate through all facets of life, worsening challenges for future generations,” stated UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.

The UNCCD reports that the global area affected by land degradation—approximately 15 million square kilometers, a size larger than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly equivalent to Russia—is expanding annually by around one million square kilometers.

The report frames both the issues and possible solutions regarding land use within the scientific context of planetary boundaries, a concept that has gained significant policy importance since its introduction 15 years ago.

“The purpose of the planetary boundaries framework is to establish a standard for achieving human well-being within the ecological limits of our planet,” remarked Johan Rockström, the primary author of the foundational study that introduced this idea in 2009. “We find ourselves at a critical juncture and must choose whether to take transformative actions or persist on a path of irreversible environmental change,” he added.

The planetary boundaries delineate nine essential thresholds necessary for sustaining Earth’s stability. The report discusses how humanity's land use practices directly affect seven of these boundaries, including climate change, species extinction, ecosystem health, freshwater systems, and the natural cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus.

As of now, six of these boundaries have already been breached, with two more nearing critical limits: ocean acidification and atmospheric aerosol concentrations. Only stratospheric ozone, safeguarded by a 1989 treaty aimed at reducing ozone-depleting substances, remains firmly within its “safe operating space”.

According to the report, conventional farming practices are the primary driver of land degradation, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution.

Unsustainable irrigation methods deplete freshwater supplies, while excessive application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers destabilizes ecosystems. The degradation of soil reduces crop yields and nutritional quality, directly affecting the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Secondary consequences include increased reliance on chemical inputs and further land conversion for agricultural purposes.

At the same time, climate change, which has already surpassed its own planetary boundary, exacerbates land degradation through extreme weather events, extended droughts, and intensified flooding. The melting of glaciers and altered hydrological cycles heighten vulnerabilities, particularly in arid regions.

Rapid urbanization compounds these challenges, leading to habitat loss, pollution, and a decline in biodiversity.