50% of world GDP depends on nature. What's needed to restore land and protect economies: UNCCD's Ibrahim Thiaw

S1E173 - 50% of world GDP depends on nature. What's needed to restore land and protect economies: UNCCD's Ibrahim Thiaw

Published: July 31, 2025

Duration: 25:50

Forecasts say we'll need to double food production by 2050 - a tall order given 40% of the earth's land has been degraded over decades by mining, unsustainable farming and climate change. The head of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Ibrahim Thiaw takes us through this complex issue that impacts economies, human well-being and global security. He breaks down what's needed to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land and the policies and technologies that can make a difference. He also shares how drought devastated his family and community when just a child and how the destruction and despair he...