Deep, rapid and sustained action is needed this decade to reduce the impact of climate change and “secure a livable and sustainable future for all,” said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Monday. In a so-called synthesis report, the IPCC said “many agriculture, forestry and other land use options provide adaptation and mitigation benefits that could be upscaled in the near-term across most regions.”
“Conservation, improved management and reforestation of forests and other ecosystems offer the largest share of economic mitigation potential, with reduced deforestation in tropical regions having the highest mitigation potential,” said the report. “Demand-side measures (shifting to sustainable healthy diets and reducing food waste/loss) and sustainable agricultural intensification can reduce ecosystem conversion, and methane and nitrous oxide emissions, and free up land for reforestation and ecosystem restoration.”
From 30 to 50 percent of the world’s land, freshwater and ocean areas, including ecosystems that are currently near-natural, must be conserved to maintain the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale, said the IPCC.
Besides the land, ocean, food and water sector, the IPCC described potential action in energy; industry and transport; and cities, settlements and infrastructure. Agriculture, forestry and other land uses account for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The IPCC said global warming was likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, based on current rates of greenhouse emissions, “and make it harder to limit warming below 2 degrees C.” All pathways to limit warming to 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees “involve rapid and deep and, in most cases, immediate greenhouse gas reductions in all sectors this decade.”
The IPCC report is available here.