Land critical to Climate Change

“Land plays an important role in the climate system,” said IPCC’s Jim Skea. “Types of land use — agriculture, forestry and other — account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions. Also, natural land processes absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to almost 1/3 of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry,” he said.

Manage land to address climate change

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report Climate Change and Land shows that how managing land resources sustainably can help address climate change. The world is best placed to tackle climate change when there is an overall focus on sustainability. “Land already in use could feed the world in a changing climate and provide biomass for renewable energy, but early, far-reaching action across several areas is required, ” said IPCC Working  Group ‘s Hans-Otto Portner. “Also for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity.”

Climate Change and Land  finds that when land is degraded, it becomes less productive, restricting what can be grown and reducing the soil’s ability to absorb carbon. This exacerbates climate change, while climate change in turn exacerbates land degradation in many different ways. The report sets out options to tackle land degradation, and prevent or adapt to further climate change. It also examines potential impacts from different levels of global warming. “New knowledge shows an increase in risks from dry land water scarcity, fire damage, permafrost degradation and food system instability, even for global warming of around 1.5°C,” said Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group.

(Sources)