This document summarizes the key topics from the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference held in Bonn, Germany on April 10, 2013. It discusses the overwhelming scientific judgment on climate change and its effects like stronger storms and droughts. It also outlines the primary drivers of land degradation including forest loss, land oxidation, and fossil fuel emissions. The document then examines how microbes govern important hydrological processes that influence factors like latent heat, albedo, and rainfall. It notes that deforestation can enhance shortwave radiative forcing and temperature. In conclusion, it calls for more research on microbial drivers, implementation of large tree planting initiatives, and shifting policy focus from carbon to hydrology.