Over 77 per cent of Earth’s land experienced a drier climate during the three decades leading up to 2020, compared to the previous 30-year period, according to a report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Monday. During the same period, global drylands expanded by approximately 4.3 million square kilometres—an area nearly a third larger than India—now covering more than 40 per cent of the Earth’s land.

The report, launched at the 16th conference of the UNCCD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, warned that if efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions fail, another 3 per cent of the world’s humid areas are projected to transform into drylands by the end of this century.