This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
Published on August 14, 2019, a new report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has highlighted the devastating impact of land degradation on the environment and climate change.
The report, which was released in Geneva, Switzerland, emphasizes that land management practices are a major driver of climate change, with agriculture, food production, and deforestation being the primary culprits.
According to the report, land is a critical resource that can also be part of the solution to climate change. However, as more land becomes degraded, it becomes less productive and reduces the soil's ability to absorb carbon, exacerbating climate change.
One-third of total carbon emissions come from land, with significant land use changes, grazing pressures, and substantial reduction in soil fertility being major contributors.
Dr. Wilfred Subbo, a lecturer in natural resources at the University of Nairobi, notes that land is under immense pressure and human-induced environmental changes are contributing to catastrophic carbon emissions.
"We are indeed heading straight into a climate disaster, and this report has highlighted how damaged land is no longer serving as that large sink that absorbs harmful carbon dioxide emissions," he says.
The report also notes that global warming and urbanization can enhance warming in cities and their surroundings, especially during heat-related events, including heat waves.
Coordinated action to address climate change can simultaneously improve land, food security, and nutrition, and help to end hunger, the IPCC said in a statement.
"Food security will be increasingly affected by future climate change through yield declines - especially in the tropics - increased prices, reduced nutrient quality, and supply chain disruptions," said Priyadarshi Shukla, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III.
However, all is not lost, as over 90 percent of countries in Africa have ratified their commitments to accelerate climate action towards achieving the 2015 Paris agreement.
Richard Munang, the sub-programme coordinator on climate change at U.N. Environment's Africa Office, emphasizes that such climate goals call for countries to embrace ambitious eco-friendly practices such as agro-forestry, the use of organic fertilizer, and clean energy, among others.
He cites examples of African countries that are on track, including Ethiopia, which has set a new unofficial world record of planting over 350 million trees in just 12 hours, and Kenya, which aims to run entirely on green energy by 2020.
