Saudi Arabia is hosting the United Nations Cop16 conference on desertification this week, with the world's top oil exporter positioning itself as an environmental defender despite criticism of its role at previous climate talks.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the meeting, which gets under way in Riyadh on Monday, a "moonshot moment" for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to protect and restore land, and respond to drought.
