DOCSLIB.ORG

Sustainable Development and Mitigation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sustainable Development and Mitigation 12 Sustainable Development and Mitigation Coordinating Lead Authors: Jayant Sathaye (USA), Adil Najam (Pakistan) Lead Authors: Christopher Cocklin (New Zealand), Thomas Heller (USA), Franck Lecocq (France), Juan Llanes-Regueiro (Cuba), Jiahua Pan (China), Gerhard Petschel-Held † (Germany), Steve Rayner (USA), John Robinson (Canada), Roberto Schaeffer (Brazil), Youba Sokona (Mali), Rob Swart (The Netherlands), Harald Winkler (South Africa) Contributing Authors: Sarah Burch (Canada), Jan Corfee Morlot (USA/France), Rutu Dave (The Netherlands), László Pinter (Canada), Andrew Wyatt (Australia) Review Editors: Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka), Hans Opschoor (The Netherlands) This chapter should be cited as: Sathaye, J., A. Najam, C. Cocklin, T. Heller, F. Lecocq, J. Llanes-Regueiro, J. Pan, G. Petschel-Held , S. Rayner, J. Robinson, R. Schaeffer, Y. Sokona, R. Swart, H. Winkler, 2007: Sustainable Development and Mitigation. In Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [B. Metz, O.R. Davidson, P.R. Bosch, R. Dave, L.A. Meyer (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Sustainable Development and Mitigation Chapter 12 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................... 693 12.1 Introduction ..................................................... 695 12.1.1 The two-way relationship between sustainable development and climate change ................... 695 12.1.2 Evolution and articulation of the concept of sustainable development ................................. 696 12.1.3 Measurement of progress towards sustainable development .................................................. 698 12.2 Implications of development choices for climate change mitigation ............................. 699 12.2.1 Multiplicity of plausible development pathways ahead, with different economic, social and environmental content ..................................... 700 12.2.2 Lower emissions pathways are not necessarily associated with lower economic growth ........... 707 12.2.3 Changing development pathway requires working with multiple actors, at multiple scales ............. 708 12.2.4 Opportunities at the sectoral level to change development pathways towards lower emissions through development policies .......................... 717 12.3 Implications of mitigation choices for sustainable development goals ..................... 726 12.3.1 Energy supply and use .................................... 729 12.3.2 Forestry sector ............................................... 731 12.3.3 Agriculture sector ........................................... 731 12.3.4 Waste and wastewater management sector .... 732 12.3.5 Implications of climate policies for sustainable development .................................................. 733 12.4 Gaps in knowledge and future research needs .................................................................. 733 References ..................................................................... 734 692 Chapter 12 Sustainable Development and Mitigation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY making process in a meaningful way, the more likely they are to achieve the desired goals (high agreement, medium evidence). The concept of sustainable development was adopted by the World Commission on Environment and Development, Regarding governments, a substantial body of political theory and there is agreement that sustainable development involves identifies and explains the existence of national policy styles or a comprehensive and integrated approach to economic, social, political cultures. The underlying assumption of this work is and environmental processes. Discourses on sustainable that individual countries tend to process problems in a specific development, however, have focused primarily on the manner, regardless of the distinctiveness or specific features of environmental and economic dimensions. The importance any problem; a national ‘way of doing things’. Furthermore, of social, political, and cultural factors is only now getting the choice of policy instruments is affected by the institutional more recognition. Integration is essential in order to articulate capacity of governments to implement the instrument. This development trajectories that are sustainable, including implies that the preferred mix of policy decisions and their addressing the climate change problem. effectiveness in terms of sustainable development and climate change mitigation strongly depend on national characteristics There is growing emphasis in the literature on the two- (high agreement, much evidence). way relationship between climate change mitigation and sustainable development. The relationship may not always The private sector is a central player in ecological and be mutually beneficial. In most instances, mitigation can sustainability stewardship. Over the past 25 years, there has have ancillary benefits or co-benefits that contribute to other been a progressive increase in the number of companies taking sustainable development goals (climate first). Development steps to address sustainability issues at either the company or that is sustainable in many other respects can create conditions industry level. Although there has been progress, the private in which mitigation can be effectively pursued (development sector has the capacity to play a much greater role in making first) (high agreement, much evidence). development more sustainable in the future, because such a shift is likely to benefit its performance (medium agreement, Although still in early stages, there is growing use of medium evidence). indicators to manage and measure the sustainability of development at the macro and sectoral levels. This is driven in Citizen groups have been major demanders of sustainable part by the increasing emphasis on accountability in the context development and are critical actors in implementing sustainable of governance and strategy initiatives. At the sectoral level, development policy. Apart from implementing sustainable progress towards sustainable development is beginning to be development projects themselves, they can push policy reform measured and reported by industry and governments using, for through awareness-raising, advocacy, and agitation. They can instance, green certification, monitoring tools, and emissions also pull policy action by filling the gaps and providing policy registries. Review of the indicators illustrates, however, that services, including in the areas of policy innovation, monitoring, few macro-indicators include measures of progress with respect and research. Interactions can take the form of partnerships or to climate change (high agreement, much evidence). stakeholder dialogues that can provide citizens’ groups with a lever for increasing pressure on both governments and industry Climate change is influenced not only by the climate-specific (high agreement, medium evidence). policies but also by the mix of development choices and the resulting development trajectories - a point reinforced by global Deliberative public-private partnerships work most scenario analyses published since the Third Assessment Report effectively when investors, local governments and citizen groups (TAR). Making development more sustainable by changing are willing to work together to implement new technologies, development paths can thus make a significant contribution and produce arenas to discuss these technologies that are locally to climate goals. But changing development pathways is not inclusive (high agreement, medium evidence). about choosing a mapped-out path, but rather about navigating through an uncharted and evolving landscape (high agreement, Region- and country-specific case studies demonstrate that much evidence). different paths and policies can achieve noticeable emissions reductions, depending on the capacity to realise sustainability Making decisions about sustainable development and and climate change objectives. These capacities are determined climate change mitigation is no longer the sole purview of by the same set of conditions that are closely linked to the governments. There is increasing recognition in the literature state of development. The mitigative capacity to realise low of a shift to a more inclusive concept of governance, which emissions can be low due to differentiated national endowments includes the contributions of various levels of government, and barriers, even when significant abatement opportunities private sector, non-governmental actors, and civil society. The exist. The challenge of implementing sustainable development more climate change issues are mainstreamed as part of the exists in both developing and industrialized countries. The planning perspective at the appropriate level of implementation, nature of the challenge, however, tends to be different in the and the more all relevant parties are involved in the decision- industrialized countries. (high agreement, much evidence). 693 Sustainable Development and Mitigation Chapter 12 Some general conclusions emerging from the case studies the extent of mitigation required, and the resulting costs and of how changes in development pathways at the sectoral level benefits. However, in some cases, such as a shift from biomass have or could lower emissions are reviewed in this chapter cooking to LPG in rural areas of developing countries, it may be (high agreement, medium evidence): rational to disregard
Load more

Recommended publications
  • About to Choose Our Future Book.Pdf
    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ‘To Choose Our Future’ presents the philosophy of the and outside, who have invested in our capacities and Development Alternatives (DA) Group, evolved from lessons believe in our dreams. We would specially like to thank learnt over the last three decades, to create a sustainable Heinrich Boell Stiftung whose encouragement and support future for India. Today, India is at the crossroads on its path inspired us to put together DA’s philosophy for the future to improving the wellbeing of its citizens. Our nation must of our country on paper, which has resulted in this book. find the right balance between the imperatives of the here and now and the responsibilities for what we bequeath to We extend our special thanks to Rupinder Kaur (Renee) at future generations. Our children look to us to make the Daalcheeni for her patience in putting our ideas to design right choices now. so effectively. Thanks are due also to Sanu Kapila and his team at the Academic Foundation for publishing this Standing on the shoulders of giants, we are trying to see work enabling its outreach. We would also like to thank the further and understand deeper. Our journey so far has authorship of Freepik on flaticons.com and other ‘Creative gained much from associations and friendships with the Commons’ platforms who have so generously made their many who have shared our concerns and dreams for our work and ideas available to be used in the book. In the nation and the world at large. same spirit, the book is licensed under Creative Commons to be shared with all for the design of a sustainable future The DA Group would like to acknowledge communities in for India and the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Asia's Wicked Environmental Problems
    ADBI Working Paper Series Asia’s Wicked Environmental Problems Stephen Howes and Paul Wyrwoll No. 348 February 2012 Asian Development Bank Institute Stephen Howes and Paul Wyrwoll are director and researcher, respectively, at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School, Australian National University. This paper was prepared as a background paper for the Asian Development Bank (ADB)/Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) study Role of Key Emerging Economies—ASEAN, the People Republic of China, and India—for a Balanced, Resilient and Sustainable Asia. The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of ADBI, the ADB, its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent. ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms. The Working Paper series is a continuation of the formerly named Discussion Paper series; the numbering of the papers continued without interruption or change. ADBI’s working papers reflect initial ideas on a topic and are posted online for discussion. ADBI encourages readers to post their comments on the main page for each working paper (given in the citation below). Some working papers may develop into other forms of publication. Suggested citation: Howes, S. and P. Wyrwoll. 2012. Asia’s Wicked Environmental Problems. ADBI Working Paper 348. Tokyo: Asian Development Bank Institute. Available: http://www.adbi.org/working- paper/2012/02/28/5009.asia.wicked.environmental.problems/ Please contact the author(s) for information about this paper.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ecological Footprint Emerged As a Response to the Challenge of Sustainable Development, Which Aims at Securing Everybody's Well-Being Within Planetary Constraints
    16 Ecological Footprint accounts The Ecological Footprint emerged as a response to the challenge of sustainable development, which aims at securing everybody's well-being within planetary constraints. It sharpens sustainable development efforts by offering a metric for this challenge’s core condition: keeping the human metabolism within the means of what the planet can renew. Therefore, Ecological Footprint accounting seeks to answer one particular question: How much of the biosphere’s (or any region’s) regenerative capacity does any human activity demand? The condition of keeping humanity’s material demands within the amount the planet can renew is a minimum requirement for sustainability. While human demands can exceed what the planet renew s for some time, exceeding it leads inevitably to (unsustainable) depletion of nature’s stocks. Such depletion can only be maintained temporarily. In this chapter we outline the underlying principles that are the foundation of Ecological Footprint accounting. 16 Ecological Footprint accounts Runninghead Right-hand pages: 16 Ecological Footprint accounts Runninghead Left-hand pages: Mathis Wackernagel et al. 16 Ecological Footprint accounts Principles 1 Mathis Wackernagel, Alessandro Galli, Laurel Hanscom, David Lin, Laetitia Mailhes, and Tony Drummond 1. Introduction – addressing all demands on nature, from carbon emissions to food and fibres Through the Paris Climate Agreement, nearly 200 countries agreed to keep global temperature rise to less than 2°C above the pre-industrial level. This goal implies ending fossil fuel use globally well before 2050 ( Anderson, 2015 ; Figueres et al., 2017 ; Rockström et al., 2017 ). The term “net carbon” in the agreement further suggests humanity needs far more than just a transition to clean energy; managing land to support many competing needs also will be crucial.
    [Show full text]
  • Alternative Futures for Global Biological Invasions
    Sustainability Science https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00963-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Alternative futures for global biological invasions Núria Roura‑Pascual1 · Brian Leung2,3,4 · Wolfgang Rabitsch5 · Lucas Rutting6 · Joost Vervoort6,7 · Sven Bacher8 · Stefan Dullinger9 · Karl‑Heinz Erb10 · Jonathan M. Jeschke11,12,13 · Stelios Katsanevakis14 · Ingolf Kühn15,16,17 · Bernd Lenzner18 · Andrew M. Liebhold19,20 · Michael Obersteiner21,7 · Anibal Pauchard22,23 · Garry D. Peterson24 · Helen E. Roy25 · Hanno Seebens26 · Marten Winter17 · Mark A. Burgman27 · Piero Genovesi28,29 · Philip E. Hulme30 · Reuben P. Keller31 · Guillaume Latombe18,32 · Melodie A. McGeoch33 · Gregory M. Ruiz34 · Riccardo Scalera35 · Michael R. Springborn36 · Betsy von Holle37 · Franz Essl18,38 Received: 5 May 2020 / Accepted: 16 April 2021 © The Author(s) 2021 Abstract Scenario analysis has emerged as a key tool to analyze complex and uncertain future socio-ecological developments. How- ever, currently existing global scenarios (narratives of how the world may develop) have neglected biological invasions, a major threat to biodiversity and the economy. Here, we use a novel participatory process to develop a diverse set of global biological invasion scenarios spanning a wide range of plausible global futures through to 2050. We adapted the widely used “two axes” scenario analysis approach to develop four families of four scenarios each, resulting in 16 scenarios that were later clustered into four contrasting sets of futures. Our analysis highlights that socioeconomic developments and techno- logical innovation have the potential to shape biological invasions, in addition to well-known drivers, such as climate and human land use change and global trade. Our scenarios partially align with the shared socioeconomic pathways created by the climate change research community.
    [Show full text]
  • Ensuring Availability and Sustainable Management Of
    Issue brief SDG 6 © Dan-Roizer ENSURING AVAILABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION FOR ALL Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all – confirms the importance of water and sanitation in the global political agenda. Building on the relevant Millennium Development Goal, SDG 6 addresses the sustainability of access to water and sanitation by focusing on the quality, availability and management of freshwater resources. The individual targets of SDG 6 Environmental dimension of UN Environment and SDG 6 cover the entire water cycle and its SDG 6 interconnections: As the global environmental authority, the SDG 6 recognizes that countries’ social United Nations Environment Programme ➡ 6.1: provision of drinking water development and economic prosperity (UN Environment) connects the issue of depend on the sustainable management of freshwater to other aspects of sustainable ➡ 6.2: sanitation and hygiene freshwater resources and ecosystems. development, such as oceans, land and services SDG 6 acknowledges that ecosystems and agriculture. This work entails building their inhabitants, including humans, are national capacity to monitor freshwater ➡ 6.3: treatment and reuse of water users and that their activities on land ecosystem health, including water wastewater and ambient can compromise the quality and availability quality, facilitating integrated water water quality of fresh water. resources management processes and ➡ 6.4: water-use efficiency and the implementation thereof, and providing scarcity The water-related ecosystems addressed guidelines and inputs for country-level in SDG 6 include wetlands, rivers, aquifers action to protect and restore freshwater ➡ 6.5: integrated water resources and lakes, which sustain a high level of ecosystems at the national level.
    [Show full text]
  • The North American Mosaic: an Overview of Key Environmental Issues 3
    The North American Mosaic An Overview of Key Environmental Issues June 2008 Commission for Environmental Cooperation section title A This report addresses the state of the environment in the territories of the Parties to the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation by providing an overview of key environmental issues. It provides an objective appraisal of environmental trends and conditions to inform the Council’s deliberations on strategic planning and future cooperative activities. This publication was prepared by the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The design and implementation of this report benefited from the participation of the State of the Environment Advisory Group, which is composed of environmental reporting experts from the Parties. The views contained herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the governments of Canada, Mexico or the United States of America. In general, this report does not address the wide variety of responses to the environmental issues described herein. Likewise, an evaluation of the efficacy of these responses is beyond its scope. More information, including detailed references for the findings in this report, is available on the CEC website: <http://www.cec.org/soe>. Publication details Type: Project report Date: June 2008 Original language: English Review and Quality Assurance Procedures • Review by the Parties: February – April 2008; April – May 2008 • For more information please consult the Acknowledgements. Published by the Communications Department
    [Show full text]
  • Future Reflective Backcasting’
    Enabling environmental activists to identify and refine their objectives by using ‘future reflective backcasting’ Lisa George Department of Design Goldsmiths University of London 2011 Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Design Declaration I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made; the material produced in this thesis is that of the author alone. The work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award. The content of this thesis is the result of work carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program. Page 2 Abstract Future narratives can be a useful way of conceptualising environmental problems and constructing solutions. Existing ecological future narratives such as sustainable futures and global warming have been effective at relaying the seriousness and scale of ecological problems but they can also be ambiguous, overwhelming and lead to stasis. In this research, I explore backcasting as a useful mechanism for creating detailed preferred futures and mapping out how those future states can be realised. During my exploration of backasting processes, I identify the possibility for backcasting to move beyond a simple outcome-driven process and instead become a process that creates a space for reflection, formulating and reformulating solutions. I examine four case studies: Cradle-to-Cradle, Transition Towns, Melbourne 2032 and case study 4 which involves 5 workshops in 3 secondary schools. These illustrations present how the creation of alternative futures can be used to address ecological problems. I developed, tested and participated in a variation of backcasting, called future reflective backcasting, in a workshop format.
    [Show full text]
  • Dec Issue # 76 What You Have Missed! MARINA BARRAGE’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY FINALE 26-28 Oct 2018
    Dec Issue # 76 What you have missed! MARINA BARRAGE’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY FINALE 26-28 Oct 2018 The end of October has held particular significance for PUB since 2008 – on 31 October 2008, the Marina Barrage was officially opened after decades of hard work and planning, realising former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s vision of a freshwater reservoir in the city. In celebration of this milestone, a 3-day carnival was held from 26-28 October, bringing people a slew of fun and excitement. There were over a hundred stalls for the shopaholics, foodies, and activities for families and even our environmentally-conscious friends! There were specially-curated foods reminiscent of the Barrage’s crest gates and gigantic pumps, both of which work to maintain consistent water levels in the Marina Reservoir and alleviate flooding in low-lying areas of the city. Free river cruises for the public to appreciate the efforts that go into keeping the reservoir waters clean beautiful. The Barrage came alive at night with twinkling fairy lights and the sounds of bustle, when shoppers did what they did best and sourced for their kicks. Many stalls boasted self-designed and handmade items, and the prices of the little trinkets sure were easy on the pocket! With 2018 designated as the year of Climate Action, and the Marina Barrage an icon of water security and sustainability, it only made sense that there be a Sustainable Zone at the Finale! Members of the public could sign up for activities and workshops to try their hand at upcycling everyday items into useful stuff, like milk cartons into coin pouches, and throwaway wallpaper samples into wallets! Image credit: Terra SG The highlight of the three days was when Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean, graced the celebrations on 27 October.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Security a Conceptual Investigating Study
    J Ö N K Ö P I N G I NTERNATIONAL B U S I N E S S S CHOOL JÖNKÖPING UNIVERSITY Environmental Security A conceptual investigating study Master thesis in Political Science Author: Elin Sporring Jonsson Tutor: Mikael Sandberg Jönköping 2009 Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concept of environmental security. A concept that have made way on to the international arena since the end of the Cold War, and have become of more importance since the 1990’s. The discussion regarding man-made environmental change and its possible impacts on the world is very topical; especially with the Nobel Peace Prize winners in 2007 the Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) and Al Gore. The concept of environmental security is examined through a conceptual investigating study. The reason for this type of study is due to the complexity of the concept and a hope to find a ‘best’ definition to it. A conceptual investigating study is said to help create order in an existing discussion of a social problem, hence the reason for it in this thesis. The outcome of this thesis is that it is near impossible to find a ‘best’ or one definition to the concept of environmental security and that another method to deal with the concept might have presented another result. Keywords: Environmental Security, Conceptual Investigating Study, Environmental degradation i Sammanfattning Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka konceptet environmental security. Detta koncept har gjort sin väg till ett internationellt erkännande sedan Kalla kriget, och har sedan 1990-talet blivit allt mer aktuellt.
    [Show full text]
  • Green Growth Policy, De-Growth, and Sustainability: the Alternative Solution for Achieving the Balance Between Both the Natural and the Economic System
    sustainability Editorial Green Growth Policy, De-Growth, and Sustainability: The Alternative Solution for Achieving the Balance between Both the Natural and the Economic System Diego A. Vazquez-Brust 1,2 and José A. Plaza-Úbeda 3,* 1 Portsmouth Faculty of Business and Law, Richmond Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth P01 3DE, UK; [email protected] 2 Production Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil 3 Economics and Business Department, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain * Correspondence: [email protected] 1. Introduction “We are ethically obliged and incited to think beyond what are treated as the realistic limits of the possible” (Judith Butler, 2020) The existence of an imbalance between our planet’s reserves of resources and the conditions necessary to maintain high levels of economic growth is evident [1]. The limitation of natural resources pushes companies to consider the possibility of facing critical situations in the future that will make it extremely difficult to reconcile economic Citation: Vazquez-Brust, D.A.; and sustainable objectives [2]. Plaza-Úbeda, J.A. Green Growth In this context of dependence on an environment with finite resources, there are Policy, De-Growth, and Sustainability: growing interests in alternative economic models, such as the Circular Economy, oriented to The Alternative Solution for the maximum efficient use of resources [3–5]. However, the Circular Economy approach is Achieving the Balance between Both still very far from the reality of industries, and the depletion of natural resources continues the Natural and the Economic System. undeterred [6]. It is increasingly necessary to explore alternative approaches to address the Sustainability 2021, 13, 4610.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Sustainability Within California's Improved Forest Management Carbon Offsets Program Cory Hertog Clark University, [email protected]
    Clark University Clark Digital Commons International Development, Community and Master’s Papers Environment (IDCE) 5-2018 Ecological Sustainability within California's Improved Forest Management Carbon Offsets Program Cory Hertog Clark University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers Part of the Environmental Policy Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Physical and Environmental Geography Commons, and the Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons Recommended Citation Hertog, Cory, "Ecological Sustainability within California's Improved Forest Management Carbon Offsets Program" (2018). International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE). 195. https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/195 This Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Master’s Papers at Clark Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) by an authorized administrator of Clark Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Ecological Sustainability within California’s Improved Forest Management Carbon Offsets Program Cory Hertog May 2018 A Master’s Paper Submitted to the faculty of Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of Master of Science of Environmental Science and Policy in the department of International Development, Community, and Environment and a Master of Business Administration in the Graduate School of Management And accepted on the recommendation of Dominik Kulakowski - Ph.D. Will O’Brien - J.D., M.B.A Graduate School of Geography Graduate School of Management Abstract Ecological Sustainability within California’s Improved Forest Management Carbon Offsets Program Cory Hertog Forest Carbon offsets are being used as a climate change mitigation strategy in multiple programs around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Desertification and Agriculture
    BRIEFING Desertification and agriculture SUMMARY Desertification is a land degradation process that occurs in drylands. It affects the land's capacity to supply ecosystem services, such as producing food or hosting biodiversity, to mention the most well-known ones. Its drivers are related to both human activity and the climate, and depend on the specific context. More than 1 billion people in some 100 countries face some level of risk related to the effects of desertification. Climate change can further increase the risk of desertification for those regions of the world that may change into drylands for climatic reasons. Desertification is reversible, but that requires proper indicators to send out alerts about the potential risk of desertification while there is still time and scope for remedial action. However, issues related to the availability and comparability of data across various regions of the world pose big challenges when it comes to measuring and monitoring desertification processes. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the UN sustainable development goals provide a global framework for assessing desertification. The 2018 World Atlas of Desertification introduced the concept of 'convergence of evidence' to identify areas where multiple pressures cause land change processes relevant to land degradation, of which desertification is a striking example. Desertification involves many environmental and socio-economic aspects. It has many causes and triggers many consequences. A major cause is unsustainable agriculture, a major consequence is the threat to food production. To fully comprehend this two-way relationship requires to understand how agriculture affects land quality, what risks land degradation poses for agricultural production and to what extent a change in agricultural practices can reverse the trend.
    [Show full text]