Land Sector Principles_v7 (final).indd

This discussion paper by the Center for International Environmental Law advocates for a rights-based, comprehensive approach to land-use planning within the UNFCCC's ADP process. It argues that land-sector carbon sequestration is temporary and should not be used to offset permanent fossil fuel emissions, while emphasizing the need to protect food security, biodiversity, and the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

• The land sector is distinct from other mitigation sectors because it involves both emissions and removals, but terrestrial carbon sequestration in forests and soils is temporary, whereas fossil carbon emissions are permanent.
• Mitigation in the land-use sector must be treated as additional to industrial emission reductions and should not be used to displace or reduce mitigation efforts in other sectors.
• Developing countries, particularly Least Developed Countries (LDCs), must prioritize food security and sovereignty, which may necessitate increasing agricultural emissions in the poorest nations to safeguard smallholder livelihoods that support up to 80% of people in developing countries.
• The paper calls for the legal enforcement of tenure, usage, and access rights for indigenous peoples, local communities, and smallholder farmers, specifically affirming the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
• Current LULUCF accounting rules under the Kyoto Protocol are criticized as overly complex and prone to creating loopholes that allow developed countries to hide land-use emissions to increase emissions in other sectors.
• The document argues against using business-as-usual (BAU) baselines for reporting, suggesting instead the use of direct indicators such as hectares of forest maintained or land area under agro-ecological management to reduce uncertainty.
• Agricultural mitigation should prioritize permanent reductions by addressing high per capita meat consumption and the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in developed countries, rather than relying on soil carbon sequestration, which is viewed as an adaptation measure due to its volatility.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Land Sector Principles_v7 (final).indd. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LandUse_ADP_Jun2014.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Land Sector Principles_v7 (final).indd. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LandUse_ADP_Jun2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Land Sector Principles_v7 (final).indd |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LandUse_ADP_Jun2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndland, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Land Sector Principles\_v7 (final).indd}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LandUse_ADP_Jun2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }