UN desertification summit opens in Riyadh

Speakers at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's COP16 which is taking place in Saudi Arabia warned that action needed to be taken to protect life on Earth.

"The way we manage our land today will directly determine the future of life on Earth," Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNCCD Ibrahim Thiaw.

The COP16 meeting in Riyadh runs from Dec. 2 to Dec. 13 under the theme: "Our Land. Our Future."

The event aims to bring together world leaders, experts and community representatives from around the world to work toward land restoration and fight desertification.

The U.N. weather agency reported in October that 2023 was the driest year in more than three decades for the world’s rivers, as the record-hot year underpinned a drying up of water flows and contributed to prolonged droughts in some places.

The world faced the hottest year on record in 2023, and the summer of this year was also the hottest summer ever — raising warning signs for a possible new annual record in 2024.

The warming world is leading to erratic rainfall patterns, extreme heat and periods of drought.

"For the first time in human history on planet Earth, we scientifically are forced to consider the following risk," Swedish scientist Prof. Johan Rockström warned, speaking during COP16 in Riyadh.

"We are currently halfway through the decisive decade that very likely will determine the future of humanity for many generations into the future," Rockström said.