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From “Water Terrorist” to Global Laureate: Iran’s Kaveh Madani Wins the Nobel of Water

Karin Kloosterman — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:14:45 +0000

Kaveh Madani, supplied by the UN

At a time when Iran is again in the headlines for war, conflict, and fire, a different story emerges. It is a story about water, truth, and survival. Kaveh Madani, once branded a “water terrorist” in his own country of Iran, has been named the 2026 laureate of the Stockholm Water Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of water.

It is a striking reversal. A scientist exiled for telling inconvenient truths about water scarcity is now being honored on the global stage for the very same work.

Madani, now director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, has spent his career confronting one of the most uncomfortable realities of our time. The world is not facing a temporary water crisis. It is entering what he calls “water bankruptcy.” This is not semantics. It is a shift in how we understand collapse. In his own country aquifers and water resources are being bled dry. Lakes, like Lake Urmia, have completely vanished from overuse.

Lake Urmia

Madani’s framing is simple and devastating. Humanity is no longer living off the renewable flow of water. We are draining ancient reserves, aquifers built over millennia, spending down the planet’s savings account with no plan to repay it. For countries like Iran, this is not theoretical.

Born in Tehran, Madani grew up inside a system already under stress. He trained as a civil engineer, studied water systems in Sweden, and earned his doctorate in California (like our beloved architect Nader Kahlili). By his early 30s, he was teaching at Imperial College London, one of the world’s leading institutions. Iran, readers should know, was the inventor of the ancient qanat system. They had water aquaducts figured out before the Romans.

Nader Khalili from Iran became known as a sustainable building leader for his work in California

Then he did something unusual. He went back.

In 2017, he returned to Iran to serve as Deputy Vice President and Deputy Head of the Department of Environment. It was a move filled with risk working with the regime there, but also hope. His calls for transparency, reform, and honest accounting of Iran’s water crisis collided with entrenched power in the Islamic regime. He was accused of espionage, labeled a threat, and targeted by security forces. Friends and colleagues were arrested. One of his friends died in custody.

Madani fled and then rebuilt his work, moving through Yale and eventually to the United Nations, where he now leads one of the world’s most influential water think tanks. The voice that was silenced at home now advises governments across the globe.

Today Madani challenged a core assumption in water management. That people cooperate. Using game theory, he showed that in reality, individuals, regions, and nations often act in their own interest, even when it leads to collective failure. Water conflicts are not engineering problems alone. They are human ones.

This insight has reshaped how water systems are modeled, negotiated, and governed, especially in regions where trust is thin and resources are shared across borders.

With nearly a million followers online, he has become one of the most visible environmental scientists in the world. He speaks plainly, often bluntly, translating complex hydrology into something people can understand which is the language of survival.

How ancient qanats worked in Iran

Water is not just about taps and rivers. It is about food, energy, migration, and peace.

He was also one of the first to push water into the climate conversation at the highest level. At COP23, he criticized the lack of attention to water in the Paris Agreement, a gap that still lingers today. Now, as director of the UN’s water institute, he continues to press that point. Without water, there is no climate solution.

The Stockholm Water Prize citation recognizes not just his research, but his ability to turn science into policy and public understanding, often under personal risk.

In his acceptance remarks, he spoke of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, where water symbolizes light and purity. For him, the prize is not personal. It is shared with those who stood by him, and with those who paid a higher price for protecting nature.

In a press release sent to Green Prophet, Madami says: “In the Persian tradition of Nowruz, water is a symbol of light and purity on our New Year table. To be named the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate at this specific moment is a vindication I share with all Iranians who believed in me when I was labeled a ‘threat’ for simply speaking the truth. I accept this honor with profound humility, and I am deeply grateful to my nominators, the selection committee, and the mentors, colleagues, and students who have been my intellectual family throughout this journey.

“I share this award with the millions of compatriots who stood by me, with my friends in the conservation community, who were imprisoned and killed for their love of nature, and with the brave and innocent Iranian lives taken from us in January 2026, and those lost before and since.”

“It is a profound coincidence that this news arrives as my country and the region whose sustainability I have fought for have been burning in the fires of conflicts and a war being conducted in defiance of international law.

“I hope that in the midst of this fragmented world, this Prize and World Water Day serve as a reminder that water does not wait for politics. Water bankruptcy is a common threat that transcends every military line. We must recognize our shared vulnerability if we are ever to find our shared peace.”

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Nearly the half the world’s migratory species are declining, in new UN report for COP15

Julie Steinbeck — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:00:40 +0000

Millions of birds are killed in Cyprus to satisfy the demand of ambelopoulia, a dish of songbirds. Image via Wikipedia.

Every spring and autumn billions of animals cross borders without passports, navigating oceans, skies and continents along routes older than human civilization. Millions of birds fly from Africa to Europe along the Great Syrian Rift and risk getting shot by owl hunters in Jordan who see them as superstitious and negative omans. Or songbirds turn into a pickled dish Cyprus. Sea turtles, dolphins and sharks are getting eaten in Gaza. Can you blame them?

With larger, land-bound animals human encroachment and Middle East warns make it more troubling for the survival of migratory animals on land, air and at sea. A new United Nations report released this week warns that the situation is getting worse, not better. Some of the causes for concern are poisonings, illegal fishing, and wind turbines.

Over the years we have reported on a Kuwaiti posing with dead wolves, the massacre of 12 flamingoes as well as thousands of endangered fruit bats which were gunned down in Lebanon. Whats more, despite laws to ban the ownership of exotic animals in the Gulf, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more pet cheetahs being paraded around.

According to the interim update to the State of the World’s Migratory Species, prepared under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), 49 percent of migratory species populations protected under the treaty are now declining, up from 44 percent only two years ago. At the same time, 24 percent of listed migratory species now face extinction risk, a two-percent increase since the last assessment.

The findings arrive just weeks before governments gather in Brazil for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the treaty, where conservation policies for migratory wildlife will be debated. The numbers matter, say UN officials, because migratory animals do more than travel. They also swoop in and pollinate plants, transport nutrients between ecosystems, regulate pests which are local and seasonal, and help store carbon in forests and oceans.

Monk seals are numbering only about 1000 but they could be recovering.

“The first global report was a wake-up call,” said Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of CMS. “This interim update shows that the alarm is still sounding. Some species are responding to concerted conservation action, but too many continue to face mounting pressures across their migratory routes.”

Twenty-six species protected under the treaty have moved into higher extinction risk categories since the previous report. Among them are 18 migratory shorebird species, which rely on fragile coastal habitats that are increasingly lost to development, climate change and pollution.

Is there hope? Seven CMS-listed species have improved in conservation status thanks to coordinated international protection efforts, including the saiga antelope, the scimitar-horned oryx, and the Mediterranean monk seal, a marine mammal that once hovered near extinction.

Asiga antelope

Scientists have also made progress mapping the invisible highways animals follow across the planet. And some countries like Canada and Israel have built land bridges over highways so migratory species such as deer and moose can cross dangerous roads. We crossed under such bridges last summer in Canada.

Initiatives such as the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration, the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) system, and BirdLife International’s work identifying six major marine bird flyways are helping conservation planners understand how species move across landscapes and oceans. The report can be found here.

Still, many of the places these animals depend on remain unprotected. Researchers identified 9,372 Key Biodiversity Areas important for migratory species, yet 47 percent of the area they cover lies outside protected or conserved zones.

Two threats dominate the global picture: overexploitation of wildlife and the loss or fragmentation of habitats, which disrupt migration routes that may span thousands of miles.

“If we intervene only at the point of crisis, we risk acting too late,” Fraenkel said. “By strengthening governance, monitoring, legislation and community engagement upstream, we can reduce pressure on these remarkable animals and put them on the path to lasting recovery.”

Mediterranean and Middle East waters are a hotspot for threatened sharks

The report confirms that extinction risk for sharks and rays has risen sharply in several regions including the Mediterranean Sea and the Northern Indian Ocean.

Populations of sharks and rays have declined by roughly 50% globally since 1970.
Overfishing and bycatch are the main causes.
Species such as the Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) are now Critically Endangered.
The Angelshark (Squatina squatina), once widespread in the Mediterranean, is now fragmented due to overexploitation.

These trends matter for countries around the Mediterranean basin including Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Greece, where coastal habitat loss and fishing pressure are major issues.

Migratory birds in the Middle East

According to the report:

53% of raptor species monitored in the African-Eurasian region are declining.
Major threats include:
- habitat loss
- illegal hunting
- poisoning
- collisions with power lines and energy infrastructure.

The Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), which migrates through the Middle East from Central Asia to Africa, is now globally Endangered. The report notes that energy infrastructure — power lines and wind installations — is a significant cause of mortality for migratory raptors.

The upcoming COP15 meeting in Campo Grande, Brazil will test whether governments are ready to respond. Have the report ready to send to your local: “We have a baseline. We have better tools. And we have growing public awareness,” Fraenkel said. “The question before governments at COP15 is straightforward: will we match this knowledge with the political will and investment needed to secure the future of the world’s migratory species?”

For more on animal rights abuses in the Middle East see:

Kuwaiti Man Kills Wolf and Then Shows Off

Gulf Country Completely Bans Ownership of Wild Animals

Kuwaitis Use Shotgun to Kill 12 Flamingoes

Jordan’s Gray Wolves Are Hunted, Poisoned and Run Over

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The US leaves 66 United Nations organizations to “put America first”

Karin Kloosterman — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:32:05 +0000

Marco Rubio: “I don’t care what the UN says.”

The United States has announced it is withdrawing from 66 international organizations, many of them linked directly or indirectly to the United Nations system. The decision, announced by President Donald Trump and reinforced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reflects a renewed “America First” approach to foreign policy and multilateral engagement. The full list of cut funding is here. Given the pro-terror stance for organizations funded by the UN Green Prophet sympathizes with the US and understand that what appear as cleantech or environmental projects is money sent to support countries that are anti-environment, such as Qatar. Read our article on the Union for the Mediterranean.

“Today, President Trump announced the U.S. is leaving 66 anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organizations,” Rubio said. “These withdrawals keep a key promise President Trump made to Americans — we will stop subsidizing globalist bureaucrats who act against our interests. The Trump Administration will always put America and Americans first.” The administration added that its review of additional international organizations remains ongoing.

Although the full list has not yet been released, the move has immediate relevance for sustainability, climate policy, science, and culture, where the US has historically been one of the largest financial contributors. Several UN bodies central to environmental governance are widely expected to be affected, either through full withdrawal, funding cuts, or reduced engagement.

Among the most consequential is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which oversees global climate negotiations including the annual COP summits. This year the COP31 event will be held in Antalya, Turkey. The US has already exited the Paris Agreement once under Trump and rejoined under President Biden; this announcement raises fresh uncertainty about America’s long-term role in global climate coordination.

The United Nations Environment Programme is another body closely tied to sustainability. UNEP coordinates international research, policy guidance, and monitoring on biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate adaptation. Critics in Washington argue that UNEP promotes regulatory frameworks that conflict with US economic and energy interests, while supporters say it provides essential scientific coordination that no single country can replicate alone.

Cultural and scientific organizations are also in focus. The UN’s UNESCO, which works on education, heritage protection, and science cooperation, has long been criticized by US conservatives for what they see as politicization and perceived institutional bias, particularly in resolutions related to Israel and the Middle East.

Sustainability advocates note that UNESCO’s work on water resources, ocean science, and heritage conservation often intersects directly with environmental protection. This is true, but the UN funds organizations that seem harmless, but which take a very clear political point of view that contradicts American policies and allies.

Other bodies potentially affected include the Food and Agriculture Organization, which addresses food security and sustainable farming, and the World Health Organization, whose work increasingly links environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change to public health outcomes.

The administration and its supporters argue that many UN and EU-aligned institutions have developed ideological and structural biases that reflect European policy preferences more than American priorities. In the EU and UN funded Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the organization operates like a pan-Arab support network instead of servicing actual countries in the Mediterranean. These critiques often point to heavy emphasis on precautionary regulation, climate mandates, and social frameworks that are seen as misaligned with US energy production, industrial competitiveness, and national sovereignty.

On the other hand, critics warn that disengagement from UN sustainability institutions risks reducing US influence over global standards that will shape markets, trade, and technology regardless of American participation.

For sustainability advocates, the moment highlights a deeper tension: whether environmental governance is best pursued through global institutions or through national and regional strategies. I personally believe that more power should be put into the hands of local organizations. The bigger and more bloated EU and UN organizations become (with non-elected leaders), the more political biases and racism creep into global policies and perception. The world needs a reset and to restart well intentioned cooperation projects from start. Because right now the UN and EU projects look like software built on code from the 80s, rickety, patched, slow to adapt, and prone to crashing under the weight of outdated assumptions.

Karin Kloosterman – Green Prophet

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Turkey named as climate change COP31 home in 2026

Karin Kloosterman — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 11:34:40 +0000

Murat Kurum as President-Designate of COP31

The announcement of Murat Kurum as President-Designate of COP31 marks a pivotal moment for global climate diplomacy and for Turkey’s evolving role on the international climate stage.

With COP31 expected to be held in Antalya, climate negotiations move into the Mediterranean basin—one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. Turkey is already confronting the front-line impacts of climate change: prolonged droughts stressing water systems, intensifying wildfires, severe flooding from extreme rainfall, coastal erosion, and growing pressure on food, energy, and urban infrastructure. Hosting COP31 places these lived realities at the center of global decision-making.

Turkey occupies a unique geopolitical and economic position. As a G20 economy and a bridge between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, it sits at the intersection of climate vulnerability and climate opportunity. It is both an emerging economy still expanding its energy and industrial base, and a country increasingly aware that resilience, adaptation, and sustainability are no longer optional—they are economic and social imperatives. It has also been a rising threat to global stability as it’s given refuge to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas militants. Every hotel and many restaurants in Turkey require you to go through weapons detections devices.

In recent years, Turkey has made tangible contributions to climate action. The country has rapidly scaled renewable energy capacity, particularly in solar, wind, and geothermal power, while reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. It has launched nationwide zero-waste initiatives, invested in climate-resilient urban transformation, and prioritized disaster preparedness following increasingly frequent climate-linked extreme events.

Under Murat Kurum’s leadership, urban resilience, energy-efficient buildings, and sustainable land use have become core elements of environmental policy. But they still killed 4 million dogs this past year. Like it’s always been, Turkey is between the old and the new, the east and the west.

Balat, Istanbul

COP31 in Antalya offers an opportunity to re-center global climate talks on implementation. The road from COP30 to COP31 will be defined by delivery—turning national commitments into real emissions reductions, adaptation projects, and financing mechanisms that reach vulnerable communities. Turkey is well positioned to help bridge long-standing divides between developed and developing countries, between ambition and affordability, and between mitigation and adaptation.

As COP31 President-Designate, Murat Kurum’s role will be to help shift the global climate agenda from negotiation fatigue to measurable progress. For Turkey, hosting COP31 is a chance to demonstrate leadership grounded in pragmatism, regional solidarity, and real-world solutions—showing that climate action can strengthen economies, protect communities, and accelerate a fairer, more resilient development path.The world’s journalists will be there and hopefully with a watchful eye.

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Nature as Capital at COP30 and how blended finance and debt-for-nature swaps work

Karin Kloosterman — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:05:14 +0000

Jubail mangrove wal in Abu Dhabi

Belém’s COP30 puts forests, freshwater and oceans at center stage. How are emerging markets treating nature as infrastructure— and plugging it into finance and trade. We know that the world has reached the coral tipping point, and as you are busy saving the trees and oceans, know how activists, locals, banks and business can work together. Learn the lingo of finance mechanisms to help save the planet.

Everyone will cover the headlines from the United Nation’s climate conference, this year called COP30 and which is in Belém, Brazil. Fewer will explain the mechanics of how nature becomes cashflow, trade leverage and resilience infrastructure—especially for the Global South. That’s the gap we’re filling. Green Prophet offers a practical question: what instruments exist right now to turn living systems into value chains that stand up to droughts, floods and supply-chain shocks? And how can MENA, Africa and Latin America lead instead of only react.

Know your terminology if you want to follow the conversations in the room

Blended Finance

Econcrete restores coastal habitats with low-cost concrete that mimics a natural shoreline.

Blended finance is the engine room. Public and philanthropic “first-loss” capital de-risks deals; commercial investors come in behind. The aim is to move beyond pilot projects into pipelines that pay for restoration at scale. The World Bank’s recent review shows a surprising depth of activity in nature-based infrastructure, with millions of people already benefiting from coastal and watershed projects that reduce disaster risk while growing local economies.

Let’s take an example we can get behind: Imagine there is huge project to fix a coastline that’s getting destroyed by storms over and over again. We know that planting mangrove trees and building natural barriers to protect homes and schools works. But who pays for this, especially in developing nations like Thailand, where government money might be tight, especially on small islands.

Thailand’s, and Saudi Arabian mangrove forests can help mitigate climate change by keeping rising tides and storms at bay

The problem is that it costs a lot to plant and maintain mangrove trees and natural barriers, and even less natural ones like the ones built by Eco-Concrete in costal areas of New York. There is a lot of good reasons why protecting coastlines are good: tourism, business and stability to invest in a region pay off in the long term.

So how does blended finance work? Big investors might not build a university or a business center in an at-risk area like Indonesia because its islands are at-risk from flooding. They watch as government and charities go first to build pilot projects. These groups take the first losses and are buffered to do so. When investors see a project or pilot is working, the investors and banks can join in.

The end result is that if it’s a project on island resilience, and it’s done well with the local community, the fishermen get more fish, the houses and infrastructure don’t flood, and tourism and businesses in the area improve. Now instead of the government or local municipality working to clean up new disasters as they happen, the community and investors protect a community and its economy.

Where this is doing well:
Indonesia: planting mangroves to protect coasts and create jobs, in Kenya where they are restoring forests to secure water for cities and farms and in Colombia, where they are rebuilding riversides to stop floods and boost tourism. The World Bank found millions of people already benefiting from nature-based projects like these. They’re not just experiments — but are becoming real business pipelines.

Debt for Nature Swaps

Debt-for-nature swaps are also keywords you will hear coming out of COP30 and debt-for-nature is having a moment. By refinancing sovereign debt of a nation and locking savings into conservation endowments, countries can protect mangroves, reefs and forests while improving fiscal stability.

The Bahamas’ swap—backed by private guarantees and insurers—unlocked roughly $124 million for ocean protection and mangrove recovery. Expect more hybrids like “blue bonds,” watershed bonds, and biodiversity-linked notes as COP30 pushes nature up the finance agenda.

Canada is beginning to explore similar nature-finance mechanisms. They are offering grants for businesses that support climate change initiatives. While small island nations pioneered debt-for-nature swaps, the logic applies anywhere natural assets protect economies. Take the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes Basin. This is a freshwater system worth trillions in trade, shipping, drinking water, hydropower, and fisheries — yet it faces rising storm surges, coastal erosion, surges in algae blooms, and biodiversity loss.

Imagine a Canadian “watershed bond” modelled on the Bahamas’ blue bond play: federal and provincial governments refinance aging municipal debt in water-adjacent cities like Toronto beaches, Kingston, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. Interest savings are then routed into a protected watershed fund to restore wetlands, rebuild fish nurseries, and reinforce natural floodplains that protect ports and neighborhoods.

Who backs it? Pension funds like CPP Investments, insurers hedging climate risk, and Indigenous-led stewardship trusts that secure long-term governance. Satellite and LiDAR data verify improved water quality, carbon storage, and flood protection — giving investors confidence that nature isn’t just a moral win, but a balance-sheet asset.

Nature Markets

Circle farming in Holland uses AI and nature together.

Nature markets are growing up fast — and not just carbon trading. Investors and governments are starting to put real contracts behind things like restoring habitats, protecting species, and improving fisheries. In the past, these ideas lived in Canva or PowerPoint presentations and pilot projects that didn’t go far beyond the anecdote stage. Today, they’re showing up in legal agreements, budgets, and deal pipelines.

What changed? Measurement tech and startups working in the impact space. We can now track how many fish return to a reef, how much flood damage is avoided when wetlands are restored, or how many species come back when forests regrow. When you can measure nature’s value, you can finance it. Also, investors found that impact companies can return significantly higher returns on investment.

The early winners will be projects that do more than one thing: reduce carbon, protect coasts, boost fishing incomes, create jobs, and improve water security. In short, projects and companies that score high in ESG. Instead of selling just one benefit, they’ll earn money from many revenue streams. The future natural economy isn’t supposed to be about charity — it’s revenue, resilience, and concepts like regenerative agriculture working together.

What to watch at COP30

A Brazil rainforest

Belém in Brazil may be remembered as the summit where nature moved from a side-event to system change. If you are there at the event, Look for bigger blended-finance vehicles for forests and watersheds, standardized biodiversity/ecosystem credit frameworks, clearer guidance on how trade tools like CBAM and deforestation-free rules interact with development and equity goals, and concrete deals in the Amazon and beyond that link restoration to export growth.

Media attention will swirl around politics, but the durable story is finance and how data can turn ecosystems, including jungles and seashore towns, into resilient value-chains.

Explore related coverage on Green Prophet

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Biodiversity Blueprint Set for 2026

Green Prophet — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 07:03:39 +0000

Saudi is planting over a million mangroves

In a key moment for global nature policy, the world’s governments have sketched the roadmap for the first collective review of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) — the landmark pact adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

At the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Panama City, Parties agreed that the upcoming global review must be “facilitative, not punitive” — designed to build momentum and accountability rather than impose sanctions. The organization has used the acronym CBD, one of the key molecules in cannabis. Don’t be confused.

The meeting, attended by 800 delegates from around the world, focused on shaping the outline of the global progress report on the KMGBF’s 23 targets for 2030 — the targets which all 196 Parties to the CBD approved in 2022. The session also emphasised tighter coordination across climate, biodiversity and desertification treaties — underscoring a growing recognition that nature-loss, greenhouse-gas emissions and dry-land degradation are interlinked crises needing unified solutions.

As Panama’s Environment Minister, Juan Carlos Navarro, stated: “science-based decisions that deliver concrete results for people and life on Earth.” The agreed blueprint will guide the review process towards measurable outcomes and meaningful policy shifts rather than box-ticking.

The review – scheduled for 2026 in the lead-up to COP 17 (Yerevan, Armenia, October 2026) – will be anchored around five core axes:

Assess how countries are developing and implementing biodiversity plans, how inclusive and regionally representative they are, and how coordination, support and capacity-building are working.
Measure collective progress toward the KMGBF’s 23 global targets, comparing national and global goals, assessing successes, challenges and contributions from non-state actors.
Evaluate progress toward the Framework’s four overarching goals: summarising data and indicators, linking to targets, and offering science-based, non-binding options to address obstacles.
Examine means of implementation: identifying gaps in finance, institutional capacity, and specific challenges faced by developing countries, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth.
Review global cooperation: how multilateral agreements, institutions and non-governmental actors contribute to advancing the Framework’s vision for nature.

In the words of CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker: “This review is a vital checkpoint for the world’s commitment to nature. It allows us to see, with evidence and transparency, how far we’ve come … and where we must accelerate.” Still, she cautioned: “We’re running out of time … We must speed up our efforts and move towards taking action.”

Why This Matters for CleanTech, Finance & the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Region

For the cleantech and sustainability sector — especially in the MENA region and emerging markets — this review sends critical signals that nature-positive investments will increasingly be measured not just by carbon outcomes, but by biodiversity, ecosystem service, and community outcomes as well.

Trade-offs between climate mitigation, land use and biodiversity are under scrutiny — meaning renewable energy, agritech, restoration and finance innovations must integrate biodiversity risk and opportunity. Developing countries, women, youth and Indigenous or local communities are now front and centre in measuring progress — policy, finance and technology must align accordingly.

Regional collaboration across climate, biodiversity and land-degradation architectures is gaining traction. Firms and funds operating in the MENA region should watch how cooperation, data-sharing and financing evolve.

For investors and entrepreneurs, the 2026 review offers a milestone for aligning new business models, green bonds or nature-based finance with emerging global biodiversity standards and expectations.

The upcoming KMGBF review is more than bureaucratic box-checking. It is a strategic inflection point: whether countries will shift from ambition to delivery, whether the private sector and civil society scale nature-positive business models, and whether global architecture for biodiversity, climate and land degradation will evolve toward coherence.

For the MENA region — facing climate stress, rapid land-use change, water scarcity and ecosystem vulnerability — this means stepping up. Governments, investors, start-ups and NGOs must align to the emerging agenda: biodiversity as a core pillar of sustainable development and climate action, not a side-note.

If we seize this moment, the 2026 review can catalyse a new wave of finance (see Green Finance mechanisms in the UAE), innovation and policy coherence — and move us closer to the vision of a nature-positive world by 2050. If not, the checkpoint risks becoming another missed opportunity while ecosystems, livelihoods and economies continue to degrade.

Biodiversity primer articles on Green Prophet

Where is the world’s most biodiversity? Follow the rain

How plants buffer against climate change (drylands biodiversity)

Yemen’s Socotra is the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean

How SPNI is Rewilding Cities and Rebuilding Resilience

A Guide to Rewilding Your Cities

Coral reefs and light pollution

Forests can bounce back after acid rain

Tropical forests are chemical factories

Sinkholes and Shrinking Shores: The Race to Rescue the Dead Sea

When greenwashing overwrites ecology at the superadobe Majara Residence, Hormuz Island

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We’ve reached the coral tipping point

Julie Steinbeck — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:07:39 +0000

Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs under way, as world reaches first tipping point

The world faces a “new reality” as we have reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, according to a landmark report released by the University of Exeter and international partners.

With ministers gathering ahead of the COP30 summit, the second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs – on which nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend – are passing their tipping point. Widespread dieback is taking place and – unless global warming is reversed – extensive reefs as we know them will be lost, although small refuges may survive and must be protected.

We are on the brink of more tipping points, with devastating risks for people and nature: the irreversible melting of polar ice sheets, the collapse of key ocean currents and the dieback of the Amazon rainforest – where COP30 will be held.

With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, the report – by 160 scientists at 87 institutions in 23 countries – argues that countries must minimise temperature overshoot to avoid crossing more tipping points. Every fraction of a degree and every year spent above 1.5°C matters.

Green Prophet published an IRENA report today that shows while we’ve made progress in renewables, we aren’t going to make targets unless we double up.

Twende solar installation in Ethiopia

Action to trigger “positive tipping points” of self-propelling change – such as the rollout of green technologies – now offers the only credible route to a safe, just and sustainable future, the report says.

The researchers are working with Brazil’s COP30 Presidency to ensure that tipping points are on the agenda at the summit.

Professor Tim Lenton, from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said: “We are rapidly approaching multiple Earth system tipping points that could transform our world, with devastating consequences for people and nature. This demands immediate, unprecedented action from leaders at COP30 and policymakers worldwide.

“In the two years since the first Global Tipping Points Report, there has been a radical global acceleration in some areas, including the uptake of solar power and electric vehicles. But we need to do more – and move faster – to seize positive tipping point opportunities. By doing so, we can drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and tip the world away from catastrophic tipping points and towards a thriving, sustainable future.”

Dr Mike Barrett, chief scientific advisor at WWF-UK and co-author of the report, said: “The findings of this report are incredibly alarming. That warm-water coral reefs are passing their thermal tipping point is a tragedy for nature and the people that rely on them for food and income. This grim situation must be a wake-up call that unless we act decisively now, we will also lose the Amazon rainforest, the ice sheets and vital ocean currents. In that scenario we would be looking at a truly catastrophic outcome for all humanity.

A coral reef in the Red Sea.

“As we head into the COP30 climate negotiations it’s vital that all parties grasp the gravity of the situation and the extent of what we all stand to lose if the climate and nature crises are not addressed. The solutions are within our reach. Countries must show the political bravery and leadership to work together and achieve them.”

The report says that the nature of abrupt and irreversible Earth system tipping points mean that they pose a different type of threat to other environmental challenges, and that current policies and decision-making processes are not adequate to respond. Global action must include accelerating emissions reductions and scaling up carbon removal to minimise temperature overshoot. The expected impacts of tipping processes need to be considered in risk assessments, adaptation policies, loss and damage mechanisms and human rights litigation.

Dr Manjana Milkoreit, from the University of Oslo, said: “Current policy thinking doesn’t usually take tipping points into account. Tipping points present distinct governance challenges compared to other aspects of climate change or environmental decline, requiring both governance innovations and reforms of existing institutions.

“Preventing tipping points requires ‘frontloaded’ mitigation pathways that minimise peak global temperature, the duration of the overshoot period above 1.5°C, and the return time below 1.5°C. Sustainable carbon dioxide removal approaches need to be rapidly scaled up to achieve this.”

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This bug bacon is saving the lemurs

Karin Kloosterman — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:37:29 +0000

: Bug bacon

Let them eat bugs!

It tastes a bit like bacon when you fry it, and it’s affordable and packed with protein. Meet the Sakondry (Zanna tenebrosa), a tiny jumping insect that has been a popular snack for hundreds of years, mainly in the rural areas of Madagascar’s east coast.

But it’s more than just a tasty treat and a booster for food security. With the help of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, these edible insects are also an innovative solution and potential game changer in helping to take the pressure off and preserve Madagascar’s endangered and distinctive primates – lemurs.

The SWM Programme, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works to restore the balance between food security and wildlife conservation, especially consequential to Madagascar’s unique habitats.

Read all our archived articles on insect farming for protein

The lemur enjoys protected status under Madagascar’s wildlife laws. However, around the remote villages in the country’s northeastern Makira Natural Park in the Analanjirofo region, this primate continues to be hunted for meat, putting its survival at risk. Wild meat, including lemurs, can account for up to 75 percent of local people’s protein and 14 percent of people’s iron intake in this part of Madagascar.

Sakondry offer a nutritious and sustainable alternative, helping to safeguard Madagascar’s lemurs. There’s just one problem: populations of the Sakondry itself, once abundant, have also declined, causing concern among local residents.

Climate change, forest and biodiversity degradation as well as dwindling rainfall have all conspired together to create an environment that’s fast becoming too dry for the Sakondry’s comfort.

Another challenge is that, according to field surveys, communities were harvesting the insects without accounting for their reproductive cycle, negatively impacting their numbers. Ideally, only larvae that have reached a certain developmental stage should be collected, avoiding the capture of breeding adults, which are already winged and easily recognizable.

Now, drawing on the innovative research of anthropologist and conservation biologist, Cortni Borgerson, the Programme has launched a community-based insect farming initiative.

Instead of communities relying on catching Sakondry in the forest, the initiative has introduced the production of lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus), called tsidimy by locals and a favourite with the Sakondry, which flock to feed on the bean plants’ sap.

Tsidimy, as a legume, is also a remarkable asset for sustainable agriculture. It enriches the nitrogen in the soil and reduces erosion. This nature-based solution offers a dual benefit: it ensures a steady supply of protein coming from both Sakondry and beans.

Sakondry insects in themselves are exceptionally nutritious, rivaling traditional protein sources. Per 100 grams, they contain 20.1 grams of protein, comparable to chicken, pork and beef. They also provide considerably more potassium, calcium and iron than traditional animal proteins. Add the protein and micronutrients from the beans into the equation and you have a substantial contribution to a communities’ nutrition.

With minimal investment and resources needed, Sakondry farming creates income opportunities, especially for rural women, who are taking the lead in managing production. The ambition is that in the future, Sakondry farming can be expanded, and the insects could be sold nearby, therefore providing additional income to families.

Scaling up this practice exemplifies how using nature-based solutions and reviving local traditions can address both human needs and conservation goals in Madagascar’s unique ecosystem.

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What is Land “COP” in Saudi Arabia and why should we care?

Karin Kloosterman — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 07:34:57 +0000

The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean – Socotra Island in Yemen. Yemen is one of the driest countries on earth. Image by Beth Moon.

We’ve all heard about the UN Climate Conference. COP29, was the latest and held in Baku. While there is much ado about these UN conferences bringing in diplomats from around the world to hobnob about the planet, most of the work gets done between the events. The UN climate event has a much lesser known cousin and it’s a COP for land, unattractively marketed as the NCCD COP and this year marks NCCD COP16, coinciding with the convention’s 30th anniversary. It will be the first time the event is held in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia, an area most impacted by desertification, land degradation, and drought.

Saudi is pouring its heart into globalizing and attracting international investment, manufacturing, tourism. Its development of NEOM is the flagship for modernizing and revolutionising the country on the global stage. But leaders are taking note that the West is interested in developing ancient customs like Slow Food in Saudi Arabia and the country has started making electric cars (Ceer), and investing in research teams to study its archeological past. Saudi is putting itself in the center of the stage for football, culture and issues that matter to to the West and East.

Despite the prevailing stereotype that the Kingdom is a desert country, deserts only represent 31.75 percent of its diverse surface features. Still, water is scarce and aquifers are depleted and research institutes like KAUST are investing in new tech in areas like hydroponics (see Red Sea Farms – Iris) to grow food in the desert using brackish water. Saudi Arabia is also undertaking a massive project to plant a million mangrove trees, an effort to stop desertification.

When we were interviewing the Saudi-based Red Sea Farms about impacts against desertification Mark Tester mentioned American-Israeli Daniel Hillel as a force for combatting desertification in the Middle East through his work and research on drip irrigation.

This Eco Park opened in 2021 and is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dedicated to the preservation of mangroves. Oil company ARAMCO builds an eco park. Does anyone else see the irony?

But you came here for Land Cop. So what’s happening and how you can get involved. At this year’s CCD COP16, countries are expected to work with a dual approach, one through a negotiation track focusing on land restoration, drought resilience, and land tenure, and an action agenda focusing on voluntary commitments and actions on land, resilience, and people to reach the following goals:

Scale up land restoration efforts to restore 1.5 billion hectares of the globe by 2030
Boost resilience to intensifying droughts, sand and dust storms
Restore soil health and scale up nature-positive food production
Secure land rights and promote equity for sustainable land stewardship
Ensure that land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions
Unlock economic opportunities, including decent land-based jobs for youth

What the UNCCD Focuses on

A farmer’s field in Yemen gets a boost by rainwater collection pools. A new-old way to combat drought.

1- Land Degradation

Up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded.
The global area impacted by land degradation is approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly the size of Russia. It is also expanding each year by about 1 million km²
46% of the global land area is classified as drylands, and 75% of Africa is considered dryland.
The efficiency of Nitrogen fertilizers is only 46% and 66% for Phosphorus; the rest runs off, with dire consequences for soils.
Degraded soils lower crop yields and nutritional quality, directly impacting the livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
Agricultural subsidies often incentivize harmful practices, fueling water overuse and biogeochemical imbalances. Aligning these subsidies with sustainability goals is critical for effective land management.
Every dollar invested in restoring degraded lands brings between $7-30 in economic returns. Policy and economic incentives are urgently needed to unlock a trillion-dollar restoration economy.

2- Drought Resilience

According to the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), which is a coalition of 36 countries and 28 international organizations aiming to tackle drought risks:

Droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000.
From 1998 to 2017, drought generated economic losses of about US$124 billion across the world.
1.84 billion people are drought-stricken, of which 4.7 per cent are exposed to severe or extreme drought and 85 percent live in low or middle-income countries.
Investing in drought resilience is one of the most cost-effective actions countries and regions can take, with returns of up to 10 times the initial investment.

3- People & Land Tenure

Drought, land degradation, and desertification disproportionately affect women, girls, indigenous peoples, local communities, and vulnerable groups like people with disabilities.
One billion young people living in developing regions are dependent on land and natural resources. Achieving global land restoration commitments requires youth involvement.
Areas managed by local communities are characterized by lower rates of deforestation and land degradation. Preserving traditional and local knowledge and recognizing its key role in land restoration is crucial.
The impacts of land degradation disproportionately affect tropical and low-income countries, both because they are less resilient and because the impacts are concentrated in tropical and arid regions.
Women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and local communities also bear the brunt of environmental decline. Women face increased workloads and health risks, while children suffer from malnutrition and educational setbacks.

The UNCCD COP16 (Land COP) will start on Monday, December 2nd. It will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2nd to 13th. It is the first time a desertification COP will be held in the Middle East.

UNCCD COP16 Agenda in Riyadh

Land Day (4 December): Focus on the role of healthy land in addressing climate change, job creation, and poverty alleviation, with emphasis on nature-based solutions and private sector engagement.

Agri-Food Systems Day (5 December): Highlighting sustainable farming practices for resilient crops, healthy soils, and ecosystem protection.
Governance Day (6 December): Exploring inclusive land governance and policies to strengthen equitable land management.
People’s Day (7 December): Emphasizing the involvement of youth, women, and civil society in land-related decision-making.
Science, Technology & Innovation Day (9 December): Aims to accelerate scientific advancements for land health and resilience.
Resilience Day (10 December): Focus on policies and technologies that foster resilience to climate change.

Finance Day (11 December): Aims to showcase innovative financial mechanisms supporting land restoration and drought resilience.

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Nitrogen oxide on our planet is rising – Why we should care

Karin Kloosterman — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:57:22 +0000

At the Hindu cow dung festival via the Hindustan Times

Rise in nitrous oxide emissions endangers pathway to 1.5°C, the ozone layer, and human health

Nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas, is rapidly accelerating climate change and damaging the ozone layer, jeopardizing the 1.5°C warming target and posing a serious threat to public health, according to a new United Nations report.

Launched at the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Assessment, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), signals that emissions are rising faster than expected, and that immediate action is required to curb the environmental and health impacts of this super pollutant.

Nitrous oxide is approximately 270 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming the planet, and currently responsible for approximately 10 percent of net global warming since the industrial revolution. Primarily emitted from agricultural practices such as the use of synthetic fertilizers and animal manure (cow farts), N₂O is the third most significant greenhouse gas and the top ozone-depleting substance still being released into the atmosphere.

Sum up on nitrous oxide

The report warns that without urgent action on rising N₂O emissions, there is no viable pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5°C and provides tangible tools to reduce emissions by more than 40% from current levels.
The Assessment shows that N₂O is currently the most significant ozone-depleting substance being emitted, risking exposing much of the world’s population to higher UV levels and an increase in skin cancers and cataracts.
Taking ambitious action to reduce N₂O emissions could help prevent up to 20 million premature deaths globally by 2050 due to poor air quality and avoid the equivalent of up to 235 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2100.

Implications and recommendations

The findings from the Assessment are clear: urgent action on N₂O is critical to achieving climate goals, and without a serious reduction in emissions, there is no viable path to limiting warming to 1.5°C in the context of sustainable development as outlined in the Paris Agreement. Abating N₂O emissions could avoid up to 235 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions by 2100 – the equivalent of six years’ worth of current global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

This Assessment identifies practical, cross-sectoral abatement strategies that could cut N₂O emissions by more than 40 percent from current levels. Through transforming food production systems and rethinking societal approaches to nitrogen management, even deeper reductions could be achieved, offering a critical opportunity to move the world closer to its climate, environmental, and health goals.

The Assessment also shows that N₂O emissions from the chemical industry can be quickly and cost-effectively abated; agricultural and industrial practices impact the natural nitrogen cycle, leading to increased N₂O emissions.

Simultaneously reducing nitrogen oxide emissions and ammonia would also significantly improve air quality, potentially avoiding up to 20 million premature deaths globally by 2050. Abatement measures would also enhance water quality, improve soil health, and protect ecosystems from the impacts of nitrogen runoff.

The Assessment underscores the need for immediate and ambitious action to reduce N₂O emissions, as part of a broader strategy to tackle super pollutants, which, alongside efforts to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, will put the world on track to meet long-term climate, food security, and health goals.

Kaveh Zahedi

“Addressing nitrous oxide emissions is essential for ensuring sustainable, inclusive and resilient agriculture that simultaneously helps countries achieve their climate and food security goals. As the Assessment clearly shows, there are ways to produce more with less, by improving the efficiency of nitrogen use in agriculture and reducing excessive nitrogen application,” said Kaveh Zahedi, Director of FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment.

“Abating N₂O emissions could avoid up to 235 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions by 2100,” stated David Kanter, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, NYU and Co-Chair of the Assessment. “This is equivalent to six years’ worth of current global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.”

“A sustainable nitrogen management approach not only reduces nitrous oxide emissions but also prevents the release of other harmful nitrogen compounds,” said A.R. Ravishankara, chemist and atmospheric scientist, Colorado State University and Co-Chair of the Assessment. “This could improve air and water quality, protect ecosystems, and safeguard human health, all while maintaining food security.”

“The ozone layer is crucial for all life on Earth. For decades, parties to the Montreal Protocol have worked hard to safeguard it. This Assessment highlights the need for continued vigilance, commitment and action for the ozone layer to recover as soon as possible to its pre-1980 levels,” said Megumi Seki, Executive Secretary of the Montreal Protocol Ozone Secretariat, United Nations Environment Programme.

“This Assessment sounds the alarm on a relatively forgotten super pollutant that contributes greatly to climate change and air pollution,” said Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat of the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

“By using the abatement tools highlighted in the Assessment that are already available to us, we can yield multiple benefits across climate, clean air, and health,” she added.

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