The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land

This guide distils the 2019 IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land for African decision-makers. It highlights the critical link between land degradation and climate change, noting that desertification affects 46 African nations and threatens food security. The report advocates for integrated governance, the empowerment of women and marginalized groups, and the adoption of sustainable land management practices—such as those seen in the Great Green Wall initiative—to build resilience and mitigate emissions.

• Land and climate have a reciprocal relationship where land conditions influence regional climates and climate change alters land-based ecosystems. For example, large-scale forestation in West Africa and the Sahara could lead to regional surface cooling of up to -8°C in western Sahara and -2.5°C in the Sahel.
• Desertification, defined as land degradation in drylands, is widespread in Africa, affecting 46 of 57 nations. Significant degradation has been identified in river basins such as the Volta (67%), Limpopo (66%), Senegal (51%), and Niger (50%).
• Climate change is reducing agricultural productivity across Africa, with staple crops like maize, wheat, and sorghum seeing decreased yields. Globally, every 1°C of average warming is projected to cause a 7.4% decrease in maize yields, a 6% decrease in wheat yields, and a 3.2% decrease in rice yields.
• Desertification and climate change act as a 'threat multiplier', exacerbating poverty and food insecurity. In Ghana, land degradation reduced agricultural incomes by US$4.2 billion between 2006 and 2015, increasing the 2015 national poverty rate by 5.4%.
• Various technological and community-led responses can combat desertification, including rainwater harvesting, integrated crop-soil-water management, and the use of indigenous knowledge. In South African drylands, the use of planting pits has increased yields by up to 300%.
• The Great Green Wall initiative aims to restore degraded arid landscapes across a 7,775 km distance from Senegal to Eritrea. To achieve Land Degradation Neutrality targets by 2030, experts estimate that 10 million hectares per year must be restored in the Sahel.
• Gender inequality and insecure property rights hinder sustainable land management. Women often face greater barriers to accessing credit, agricultural advisory services, and land tenure, despite their critical roles as natural resource managers.
• Integrated governance across sectors and scales is necessary to maximize the benefits of land and water management. A combination of policies, such as crop insurance, sustainable land management, and water infrastructure, is more effective than isolated measures.
• While land-based options like afforestation and bioenergy can mitigate climate change, they can also increase competition for land, potentially threatening food security. The document asserts that 'Land cannot do it all' and emphasizes the need for emissions reductions in other sectors to relieve pressure on land.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2019). The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Land_Africa_WEB_20Nov2019.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land. 2019. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Land_Africa_WEB_20Nov2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land |date=2019 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Land_Africa_WEB_20Nov2019.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2019ipccs, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2019}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Land_Africa_WEB_20Nov2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }