By KRISHAN GOPAL SHARMA
A Planet on the Brink as CRIC23 Opens
As CRIC23 opens in Panama from December 1–5, 2025, the stakes could not be higher. With land degradation deepening and drought risks rising, this year’s session is set to probe whether countries are ready to shift from pledges to proof. Beyond reviewing progress, CRIC23 is expected to test ambition, expose gaps, and signal how the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will adapt to a rapidly changing climate era—laying the groundwork for a pivotal post-2030 strategy.
Across drought-stricken villages of rural India, farmers watch helplessly as once-fertile fields turn to dust. Their struggle mirrors crises unfolding from the Sahel to the American Midwest. More than 40% of global land is now degraded, affecting over 3 billion people—a silent emergency that threatens food security, livelihoods, and global stability. As leaders gather in Panama, one message reverberates: the world must heal the ground beneath its feet before it’s too late.
Land at the Heart of a Converging Crisis
“We are losing the very ground we stand on,” warns Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. Each year, nearly 100 million hectares of healthy land disappear—an area twice the size of Greenland—lost to erosion, drought, and mismanagement. This isn’t just an environmental statistic; it’s a humanitarian and economic alarm bell.
Land degradation sits at the intersection of the planet’s gravest challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The soil—an intricate living system—holds the planet’s ecological memory. Its degradation signals the unraveling of life-support systems. As conservationist John Muir famously said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
CRIC23’s Mandate: Turn Rhetoric Into Restoration
Restoring degraded land carries a staggering global price tag—around $1 billion every day. Yet private sector participation remains limited to just 6%, while harmful subsidies continue to eclipse investments in recovery. Pope Francis has warned that humanity is “committing suicide” by exploiting nature with impunity. CRIC23 must confront this contradiction head-on.
Key obstacles persist:
- Outdated and inconsistent data that make restoration targets aspirational instead of actionable.
- Weak monitoring systems that hinder transparency and accountability.
- Equity gaps that leave Indigenous peoples, women, and youth most affected but least represented.
With current targets expiring in 2030, CRIC23 must chart a stronger, more integrated vision linking land restoration to climate, agriculture, biodiversity, water systems, and finance.
India’s Land Dilemma—and Its Global Weight
Nearly 30% of India’s land is degraded, threatening food security for millions. Yet India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares by 2030—a bold commitment closely watched internationally.
Several national initiatives are underway:
- The Green India Mission is focused on afforestation and ecosystem revival.
- CAMPA funds to strengthen compensatory afforestation efforts.
- Namami Gange, integrating river health with forest regeneration.
- ISRO’s Desertification Atlas provides advanced monitoring tools.
On the ground, community-led projects in Gujarat have revived thousands of hectares through agroforestry and water conservation. Institutions like the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun are exporting Indian low-cost, scalable models through South-South cooperation.
Persistent Gaps Beneath the Soil
Despite its progress, India faces systemic challenges:
- Fragmented governance across ministries.
- Smallholder land ownership patterns that limit incentives for restoration.
- Agricultural subsidies that inadvertently encourage unsustainable practices.
- Policy contradictions—ambitious restoration goals paired with incentives that accelerate degradation.
Environmental economist Sunita Narain captures this tension: “India’s land is scarred, but not broken. What it needs is not just policy—but purpose.”
India’s Voice at CRIC23: Leadership Through Action
In Panama, India has an opportunity—and responsibility—to assert leadership. Its priorities may include:
- Advocating simplified access to global restoration finance for developing nations.
- Championing Indigenous knowledge and community governance models.
- Showcasing satellite-based monitoring and digital land registries.
- Calling for equity and representation for frontline communities.
True leadership, however, requires listening to farmers, forest dwellers, scientists, and civil society. As former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned, development goals will collapse “if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.”
A Turning Point for the Planet
Land degradation is not merely a technical challenge; it reflects how humanity governs, grows, and values nature. CRIC23 must become more than a forum for promises—it must be a hinge moment for integrated, science-based, and equity-driven action.
The tools exist. The urgency is undeniable. What remains is the political will to heal the land—and in doing so, heal ourselves.
As CRIC23 convenes, the world stands on fragile ground—yet on the cusp of possibility. The question is whether nations will seize the moment before the window closes.
