New IPCC report shows land use is part of solution to climate change

It covers the ways that human agriculture, forestry, and land use contributes to climate change, the way climate change is impacting these activities, and what we can do about both of those things.Human land use contributes almost a quarter of our current greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the amount these ecosystems can soak up in the future will very likely change as the impacts of climate change worsen.On top of the global climate change caused by our emissions, land-use changes themselves can have more local climate impacts, including the loss of evaporative cooling as forests are cut down or agricultural practices reduce soil moisture.The report states that “climate change has already affected food security due to warming, changing precipitation patterns, and greater frequency of some extreme events.” In particular, the report identifies food-supply instability, water scarcity, wildfires, and permafrost degradation as risks that are growing rapidly as the world continues to warm. The local details really matter, and the report emphasizes that the best mix of options will vary from place to place, depending on the situation.To that end, the report calls for “mutually supportive climate and land policies.” Preserving or restoring land pays great dividends, but so do actions that reduce underlying problems like poverty.The report highlights the fact that land-use factors actually make up a big portion of the difference between emissions scenarios that lead to 1.5 or 2°C warming instead of 3°C.