The benefits of action against land degradation far outweigh the costs of sustainable landscape management. The global economy could grow by more than $140 trillion a year if the goals of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are met, participants at the 15th UNCCD Summit heard.

After a brief lull with temperatures dropping below 35°C, the record for the highest temperature in the world in 2022 was broken in Jacobabad, Pakistan, with 51°C in the shade. These extreme temperatures threaten human health, water supplies, future crops and even biodiversity, which cannot withstand such extreme heat.

Eight recent AgroParisTech graduates gave a speech explaining that they refuse to do "destructive jobs" and calling on their fellow students to join the green struggles and work with their hands. They explained that they didn't want to pretend to be proud and deserving of a degree from an education that generally encourages participation in the social and ecological devastation that is taking place.

One third of the food produced ends up in the bin. This represents a huge potential and a unique opportunity to define more rational ways of using our food. A UN report notes that "on a country basis, food loss and waste is estimated to be the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions". Indeed, food waste also contributes to climate change.

If governments don't act, Big Oil and Gas will continue to cash in while the world burns.The Guardian has published a major survey of various think tanks, analysts and academics from around the world. The report counts dozens of projects, "carbon bombs" that together account for 646 gigatonnes of CO2.

Smartphones contain about 30 different elements, some of which are being depleted on Earth. Scientists say there is an urgent need to speed up the recycling of e-waste, as extracting precious metals to make new gadgets is not sustainable. According to one study, the mountain of discarded electronics in the world will amount to 57 million tonnes in 2021 alone.

Abidjan is hosting the 15th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought from 9 to 20 May. This meeting follows on from COP14, which took place in New Delhi, India in 2019. The theme of the meeting is "Earth. Life. Legacy: from scarcity to prosperity". The challenge is to take concrete action against land degradation and its harmful consequences for biodiversity and populations.

Europe is currently very dependent on imports of minerals and precious metals to ensure the energy transition. It depends on Russia for aluminium, nickel and copper, but also to a large extent on China for rare earths, on Congo for cobalt, and on South America for lithium, silicon and zinc. The energy transition could be slowed down if there are supply problems.

Studio Ghibli, the famous Japanese film studio co-founded by animator Hayao Miyazaki, who created the famous My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke, offers complex visual stories about the relationship between man and nature that transcend the barriers of culture and age. One of the key messages of Miyazaki's work is that we must respect nature or we will be destroyed.

This initiative, launched on 6 October last by luxury giants Kering and Richemont (via Cartier), has set itself common sustainable development objectives. After Cartier, Kering, Gucci Watches, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Qeelin, the brands Chanel Horlogerie Joaillerie, Montblanc, Rosy Blue and Swarovski also joined the association at the time of its official creation in April. What is the situation six months later?