The IPCC calls for strategies to protect the earth, key to feeding the growing world population and fighting climate change

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published in Geneva (Switzerland) its special report on “Climate Change and Land Use”, in which it calls on countries to develop strategies that guarantee land protection in the short term, key to feeding or clothing the world’s growing population, as well as fighting climate change.

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition, on behalf of the Government of Spain, has been part of the international representation that has approved the report, commissioned by the countries to the highest international body in the science of climate change in 2016, given the growing concern about the state of soils, which have gone from being a large carbon sink to becoming the source of almost a quarter of global emissions.

The scientific report, prepared by 103 scientists from 52 countries, including three Spanish researchers, urges a transformative change in land uses since, otherwise, there will be very significant effects on food security, the health of the population or the aggravation of climate change. The authors recall that the proper management of this resource, whose exploitation has been accelerated in recent decades, is key to curbing the loss of biodiversity, avoiding soil degradation and food insecurity, and stopping desertification, to which Spain is especially vulnerable. And they add that all these phenomena are being aggravated by the already observed impacts of climate change.

Scientists also show that strategies to make better land use will contribute to the adaptation and mitigation of the most pernicious effects of climate change. Therefore, the IPCC report calls for an appropriate design of policies and governance systems, at all scales, to transform land uses and the current food system, including measures to curb food waste and promote changes towards more sustainable diets and consumption patterns. Only in this way will it be feasible to ensure access to food and reach the goal of net zero emissions by the middle of this century.

Urgent and long-term measures

The researchers believe that it is possible to take action in the short term, based on existing scientific knowledge, to address these challenges, while developing long-term responses that enable adaptation to climate change and mitigation of global warming. They argue that policies that integrate climate change and land use together in a coherent way will save resources and contribute to greater social resilience.

On the contrary, delaying the implementation of measures will have greater social and economic impacts, especially with regard to food security and ecosystem degradation, according to the report.

The authors cite, among other possible responses to address these challenges, sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation and restoration of degraded ecosystems, sustainable food production or disaster risk management. They point out that the options available to address these challenges depend on the context and geographical area and, on many occasions, are multi-purpose in addressing several of the challenges simultaneously.

In addition, the report explains that integrated models of demand and supply management in the food chain, accompanied by changes towards a healthier food diet rich in vegetables, the consumption of local and seasonal products, as well as the reduction of food losses and waste, also contribute effectively to the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, while reducing pressures on the ground.

“The IPCC offers, once again, the latest and greatest scientific information available for administrations and economic sectors to adopt informed measures and policies to curb climate change. And once again the international scientific community sends a clear message of urgency: it is necessary to guarantee, in the short term, a sustainable use of the land. Our country cannot be oblivious to this inescapable process of transformation, given that we are a country vulnerable to climate change and its associated phenomena,” explains the acting Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.

“The message of Science must be translated into measures in all areas of public administration and in all sectors linked to land use. Betting on a truly sustainable land management is essential to face challenges that particularly affect Spain, such as the risk of desertification, erosion or loss of biodiversity. In addition, this type of action brings social and economic benefits in the short term, favoring sustainable development and fixing population in rural areas, “he adds.

IPCC Second Special Report

This is the ipcc’s second special report in its current assessment cycle, which is the sixth since it was constituted. The first, presented in South Korea last October, analyzed the impacts of global warming of 1.5ºC with respect to pre-industrial levels and the corresponding trajectories that global greenhouse gas emissions should follow.

In this study, the authors concluded that an unprecedented transformation is necessary to limit global temperature rise above that threshold and that current emission reduction commitments are insufficient. In the coming weeks, the IPCC is expected to publish a third report, dedicated to the oceans and cryosphere in a changing climate.

The conclusions of these three studies are vital for Spain, for several reasons. Among them, we are a country with limited water resources and vulnerable to climate change; more than two-thirds of our surface is at risk of desertification; we have approximately 8,000 kilometers of coastline, with the consequent impact that sea level rise and extreme events can have.

Source: La Moncloa