UN negotiators have failed to agree on the increased risk of global droughts exacerbated by climate warming

Even though it’s been two weeks UN.-The 197 countries participating in the talks held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia failed to reach an agreement on the plan to combat the global drought on Saturday morning. warming climate.

The two-year talks, known as COP 16 and organized by the UN body dealing with desertification and drought, attempted to establish strong global mandates to bind the law and require nations to fund early warning systems and build sustainable infrastructure in poorer countries, particularly in Africa. most affected by the changes.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was published report warned earlier this week that if global warming trends continue, up to five billion people will be affected by Earth’s drying up by the end of the year, including most of Europe, parts of the western United States, Brazil, East Asia and Central Africa. century, up to a quarter of the world’s population today. The report also noted that agriculture is particularly at risk, which could lead to food insecurity for communities worldwide.

It is the fourth time this year that UN talks aimed at getting countries to agree to make more progress in combating biodiversity loss, climate change and plastic pollution have either failed to reach consensus or produced disappointing results, leaving many nations, especially the most vulnerable, worries those who

States participating in the Riyadh talks have decided to push down the road to the 2026 talks hosted by Mongolia.

“The parties need more time to agree on the best way to address the critical issue of drought,” UNCCD chief Ibrahim Tiaw said at the end of the Riyadh talks.

Thiaw said the conference was “unlike any other” in the 30-year history of the talks. “We have moved the land and drought agenda beyond sectoral debates to build it as a cornerstone of global efforts to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, migration and global security.”

Longer-term solutions to the drought – such as preventing climate change – were not discussed.

Host Saudi Arabia has been criticized in the past for stalling progress on curbing fossil fuel emissions in other talks. The Gulf country is one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters, with the second largest global oil reserves.

At the start of the conference, host Saudi Arabia, several other countries and international banks pledged $2.15 billion for drought resilience. The Arab Coordination Group of 10 development banks in the Middle East has committed $10 billion by 2030 to address land degradation, desertification and drought. The funds are expected to support the 80 most vulnerable countries to prepare for worsening drought conditions.

But the UN estimates that between 2007 and 2017, drought will cost the world $125 billion.

Lead negotiator Erika Gómez from Panama said that despite the lack of a resolution on the drought, significant progress had been made on other key issues.

“We have achieved several key milestones, particularly in the involvement of civil society and the increase in gender resolution,” said Gomez. “So far, the parties have not been able to agree on whether the new drought response instrument is legally binding,” said Jes Weigelt of TMG Research, a European climate think tank that has been following the talks.

“I fear that UNCCD COP 16 has suffered the same fate as the biodiversity and climate COPs this year. It failed to deliver,” he said.