INTERVIEW: Sustainable energy offers ‘hope’ in the fight against desertification and land loss

Mr. Thiaw spoke to UN News ahead of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, celebrated annually on June 17.

Ibrahim Thiaw: Desertification is happening at the local level as well as at the global level. Unless we deal with this at the local level, we will never be able to control it at the international level. International policies and international decisions are needed.

The impact is huge in terms of food security and food independence.

It also drives forced migration. If people can no longer produce food on their land then they will move. As we have seen for example in the Sahel or Haiti, there can be serious consequences for international security. When people fight for access to land and water, it causes more conflicts. We see more of these, and they have consequences for social cohesion and the national economy.

It is estimated that up to 50 percent of the National GDP may be lost by 2050 due to the challenges of agriculture and food production unless the issue of land loss and desertification is addressed.

UN News: What are the current trends in terms of land loss?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Land loss is occurring worldwide and land degradation is affecting arid and semi-arid lands.

But in terms of dry areas and desert conditions, it is estimated that 45 percent of the country’s surface is affected by the spread of deserts. Perhaps more surprising is that 3.2 billion people or one-third of the world’s population are affected by it.

Every year one hundred million hectares of land are destroyed, an area the size of Egypt. We need to stop land degradation, but we also need to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land.

UN News: How will you do that?

Ibrahim Thiaw: By improving farming methods, reducing the impact we have on the land in terms of mining and other extractive industries. It is also important that we reduce the pressure on human activity in some parts of the world to diversify the economy and create more opportunities to generate income.

Restoring degraded land is not an expensive activity to undertake, but it is absolutely necessary to provide more food security and reduce conflict. Every dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to $30 in economic benefits, so investment in restoration activities is quite profitable from an economic perspective.

This is not only the responsibility of the local communities but also of the government and the private sector because the biggest driver of land use in the world is large-scale agriculture.

United Nations News: Are we talking mainly about small developing countries?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Nope. It is an international phenomenon that affects all countries including the United States, India, China, India or Pakistan.

But the impact is worse in small countries, with small economies that have no reserves, nor insurance systems to protect their people. And the level of vulnerability is higher in communities whose income depends only on the income they can get from the land.

UN News Desertification does not exist in isolation. How does it relate to climate change?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Desertification is an amplifier of climate change. Climate change is an amplifier of the spread of desertification because of course, with major events, you also have a strong impact on the land and on local communities and economies.

So basically, they are interrelated and therefore it is important to have a complete picture of the world. It is a mistake to think that you can protect biodiversity or land without addressing the climate issue and vice versa.

UN News: Small interventions at the local level are very important, but it seems like it will require a big push from the government, from the private sector to bring about real change?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Yes, we should not dismiss all the efforts made by local communities day by day. They need more help from the government. They also need to see less subsidies to the agricultural sector, which destroys the environment. Public money that sometimes destroys the environment should be used to rebuild the economy.

So, we don’t have to bring in more money, but we need to make good use of the money we have.

United Nations News: I guess some might say that’s an optimistic view that governments will be changing the way they spend their money?

Ibrahim Thiaw: Well, no, it makes political sense. As a taxpayer, I would like to see where my money is going. If it is invested in activities that destroy my environment and cause environmental concerns for my children, destroy the life of my community, then as a voter, I would insist that my government invest my money in other areas that would be more productive. income for me and build more sustainability.

United Nations News: You are from Mauritania in the Sahel. Have you seen this land destruction happen in real time?

Ibrahim Thiaw: The situation is very sad. I have seen the destruction of the earth in my life. But at the same time, I also have a lot of hope because I see positive changes coming. I see the new generation is aware of the fact that they need to change direction.

I see more and more farmers and ranchers trying to do their jobs. I see more intervention from the international community, including from the humanitarian world that is investing in land restoration. Therefore, I see a movement that gives me hope that if we join our efforts and if we work in a cooperative way, it will be possible to change that trend.

And the best hope I have is energy, which was the missing link for development and for small and medium enterprises. Energy is now available in remote areas thanks to our ability to harness solar and wind energy.

And the possibility of combining energy with agriculture is very positive, as you can harvest water, store food, reduce food waste. You can process the food to create chains at the local level.