Positive action can restore the balance of nature which has been disturbed by human activities, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday while kickstarting the 14th conference of parties on land desertification at Greater Noida.
The 11-day conference is being held with delegates from 196 countries.
Nearly 100 ministers will discuss measures to address emerging threats, including sand and dust storms and droughts.
Inaugurating the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 14), Javadekar, who was elected the president of the COP, said India was committed to ensure more proactive global cooperation.
"If human actions have caused some damage, positive actions will undo that and make a better world for future generations. This is the theme around which the UNCCD works," he said.
Javadekar said climate change was a global problem with global impact while degradation of land was a local one and solutions had to be found locally.
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"India commits to proactive global cooperation. Climate change is a global problem with global impact. Here, in degradation, the problem becomes local and solutions have to be found locally. But international experience can be shared to help various countries," the minister said.
Hoping for a good outcome from the discussions, Javadekar said if mitigation actions were taken against climate change, the world would be a better place.
"The UNCCD COP 14 is very important and we expect good outcome, which will be notified in the New Delhi Declaration, forming the future course of action," he added.
Echoing the similar sentiment, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw drew attention to the warnings sounded by recent scientific assessments and the growing public alarm at the frequency of weather-related disasters such as drought, forest fires, flash floods and soil loss.
He urged the delegates to be mindful of the opportunities for change that are opening up and take action.
"This is the largest ever COP organised by the UNCCD. We are really excited as it is the 25th anniversary of the UNCCD," Thiaw said.
The UNCCD executive secretary further said, Land feeds people. It is extremely important to keep feeding the world but what to do to keep doing so. Unfortunately, we have degraded 25 per cent of land globally, which is unusable. Using the human intelligence and technology we must restore the land.
An estimated 7,200 participants, including ministers and representatives of governments, non-government and intergovernmental organisations, scientists, women and youth from 196 countries are attending the event.
The COP will go on till September 13, during which the ministers are expected to announce their targets for land restoration and agree on measures to address emerging threats of forced migration, sand and dust storms besides suggesting actions to strengthen resilience to droughts.
During the last COP in 2017 in China, countries had agreed on a 12-year strategy to contain runaway land degradation that is threatening global food and water supply.