Most discussions of climate action focus on energy, industry and transport. A new special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states unequivocally that land is critically important as well—both as a source of greenhouse gas emissions and as a climate change solution.
In fact, the report found that while land sequesters almost a third of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, it will be impossible to limit temperature rise to safe levels without fundamentally altering the way the world produces food and manages land.
Perhaps the most overarching insight from the IPCC report is that land use and climate stability are a delicate balancing act: Getting it right can reduce emissions while creating significant co-benefits; getting it wrong can fuel climate change while worsening food insecurity and environmental problems.
You can read more on this subject here theconversation.com/new-climate-change-report-underscores-the-need-to-manage-land-for-the-short-and-long-term-121716