Aden (South24)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen has warned that the degradation of agricultural land due to climate change and the ongoing conflict could lead to economic losses, estimated at $90 billion in cumulative GDP by 2040, unless urgent action is taken to address this worsening crisis.

The warning came in a new report issued during the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The report explained that Yemen, which is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, faces the worst malnutrition rates in the world among women and children, making the humanitarian situation in the country one of the most serious in the world.

The report added that continued land degradation will increase the number of malnourished people by an additional 2.6 million, increasing the economic and social burdens, and threatening the country’s fragile stability.

However, the report goes on to say that Yemen can restore its pre-war human development levels within just ten years if the conflict ends and with improved governance and targeted human development measures. In this positive scenario, Yemen could lift 33 million people out of poverty, reduce the number of malnourished people by 16 million, and generate $500 billion in additional cumulative GDP by 2060.

“Through this new analysis, we see that climate change, healthy land, food security, and peace are all linked. Left alone, land degradation heightened by the conflict in Yemen will negatively affect agriculture and livelihoods, leading to mass hunger and undermining efforts for recovery,” said Zena Ali Ahmad, UNDP Yemen Resident Representative.

“We must work together to restore Yemen’s agriculture potential and address human development deficits," she added.