IPCC: climate change and land report highlights
After reading the IPCC’s special report on climate change and land, here are a few things I wanted to highlight from the 47-page report (which I deemed most important, so you don’t have to read the report).
There are more problems than there are solutions — as there is with most things. I’ll begin by presenting some of the unfortunate findings, and then, address potential solutions.
Bad news:
Human use affects more than 70 percent of the global, ice-free land surface, and data since 1961 shows population growth has caused unprecedented rates of water usage; the agriculture industry accounts for 70 percent of fresh-water use.
The frequency, probability and intensity of dust storms have increased over the past few decades, due to land use (primarily for agriculture).
Social erosion for agriculture fields is between 20 to 100 times higher than the formation rate, and since 1961, the annual area of drylands experiencing drought has increased by nearly one percent each year. In 2015, nearly 500 million people lived in drylands that have experienced desertification just within the past 30 years.
Since the pre-industrial period, the land surface air temperature is double the global average temperature. This has resulted in more natural disasters and extreme weather events.
For example, coastal erosion is intensifying. The intensity, probability and duration of extreme events can be prevented by changes in land conditions. This includes heat waves and heavy rainfall. Changes in land conditions can affect temperature and rainfall hundreds of miles away.
Projected thawing of permafrost is expected to increase the loss of soil carbon, and the atmospheric concentration of methane has increased steadily across the globe since the mid-1980s. There has been a growth in emissions from managed pastures (because of manure). Livestock accounted more than 50 percent in 2014. Emissions from agriculture are only projected to increase.
This has affected and will continue to affect food security in Africa, Asia and South America. There has been a decline of crops in the lower-latitude regions and an increase in crops in higher-latitude region. There are also lower animal growth rates in Africa.
Another major impact of enhanced warming and extreme weather is urbanization. Both global warming and urbanization have enhanced warming in cities and their surroundings. Night-time temperatures are affected more than daytime temperatures. It can also intensify heavy rainfall. Heat-related events are projected to increase through the 21st century, primarily in the Mediterranean and Southern Africa. Heavy rainfall will increase globally.
Climate zones are projected to shift poleward, disturbing boreal forests by drought, wildfire and pest outbreaks in high-latitude regions.
Additionally, global warming requires many plant and animal species adjust, because of the shifting of their climate zones. The stability of the food supply is projected to decrease due to disruption of the food chain. In drylands, climate change and desertification can result in crop and livestock shortages; the populations in Asia and Africa will experience it most.
North America, South America, Mediterranean, South Africa and Central Asia may experience more wildfire, while the tropics and subtropics will experience a crop shortage.
Risks related to food security that are greater in lower-income areas: increased food demand and increased food prices, resulting from competition for land, more limited trade and other challenges to adaptation. Urban expansion is one of the leading causes for losses in food production.
Now, an estimated 821 MILLION people are still undernourished. This means nearly one in eight people are still hungry in the world.
Potential solutions:
Fortunately, there are several response options that – may not revert existing damage to the environment – but can prevent future damages.
The most obvious solutions would be a change in diet. This would result in more sustainable food production and land management.
The second-most obvious solution would be reducing waste — food waste, plastic waste, all waste. This, again, would have a domino effect and demand better land management.
Globally, we also need to prioritize the conservation of high-carbon ecosystems: peatlands, wetlands, rangelands, mangroves and forests.
We should also demand afforestation and reforestation. There is no reason to cut down the forests for their resources or for more infrastructure.
And, if you’re not willing to change your dietary choices to vegetarian or vegan, don’t settle for just any agriculture. Demand more from the croplands and pastures you eat from – more sustainable practices and better managed land.
The second-most obvious solution would be reducing waste — food waste, plastic waste, all waste. This, again, would have a domino effect and demand better land management.
Globally, we also need to prioritize the conservation of high-carbon ecosystems: peatlands, wetlands, rangelands, mangroves and forests.
We should also demand afforestation and reforestation. There is no reason to cut down the forests for their resources or for more infrastructure.
And, if you’re not willing to change your dietary choices to vegetarian or vegan, don’t settle for just any agriculture. Demand more from the croplands and pastures you eat from – more sustainable practices and better managed land.
Photo provided by Unsplash through SquareSpace.