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Azerbaijani President's Representative on Climate Issues: 1.7 bln ha of land worldwide degraded as result of human activity

Mukhtar Babayev, the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues

02 May 2025 10:46 (UTC +04:00)

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, approximately 1.7 billion hectares of land worldwide have been degraded as a result of human activity, Mukhtar Babayev, the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, said during his speech at the event titled “4th AgroBusiness Development Forum: The Path to Harmony,” APA reports.

He noted that over 60% of this degraded land consists of agricultural areas used for crop cultivation and grazing: "Agriculture is directly dependent on the climate, making it one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. In recent years, the negative effects of these changes have caused serious challenges in agriculture. Increasing droughts, soil salinization, and extreme weather events are reducing productivity and significantly affecting global food security. Nowadays, we are witnessing more intense heatwaves, powerful storms, and devastating floods. While in the 1970s there were around 100 natural disasters annually, today this number has increased to about 400. This poses a threat to food security and weakens the resilience of agriculture."