The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land

The document examines the reciprocal relationship between climate change and land in South Asia, highlighting the region's high vulnerability to desertification and land degradation. It details how these processes act as 'threat multipliers' for poverty and food insecurity, specifically citing crop yield declines in India and Pakistan. The guide proposes integrated governance, sustainable land management (SLM), and gender-responsive policies as essential strategies for resilience. It emphasizes that while land-based mitigation (like afforestation) is valuable, it must be balanced with emissions reductions in other sectors to avoid increasing competition for land and jeopardizing food security.

• Climate change and land have a reciprocal influence; while climate change alters land cover, biodiversity, and nutrient cycles, land conditions—including human management like deforestation and urbanisation—affect regional climates and the frequency of extreme weather events.
• South Asia is highly vulnerable to desertification, with significant impacts already observed in India and Pakistan. In India, satellite mapping indicates 81.4 million hectares are suffering from desertification processes, and 7 million hectares are subject to salinisation.
• Global warming is actively reducing agricultural productivity in South Asia. Between 1981 and 2009, wheat yields in India decreased by 5.2% despite adaptation efforts, and in Pakistan, maize growing periods have shifted by several days per decade.
• Land degradation and climate change function as 'threat multipliers' for the most vulnerable, including women and youth. The World Bank projects an 18% reduction in the mean yields of 11 major global crops in South Asia by 2046–2055.
• Sustainable land management (SLM) and agroforestry can reverse degradation and provide positive economic returns, though adoption varies by household wealth. In South India, 97% of relatively rich households that adopted agroforestry continued the practice six to eight years later.
• Gender inequality and insecure property rights significantly hinder progress in sustainable land management. Women often face barriers to credit, agricultural advisory services, and decision-making power, despite possessing vital knowledge for adaptation.
• Integrated governance across sectors and scales is necessary to maximize the co-benefits of development and climate adaptation. This includes combining crop insurance, sustainable land management, and water infrastructure programmes.
• Relying solely on land-based mitigation, such as large-scale bioenergy crops or afforestation, can create dangerous competition for land, potentially jeopardizing food security and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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_S-Asia_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_S-Asia_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_S-Asia_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_S-Asia_WEB_20Nov2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }