Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines the conflict between increasing food production to sustain a growing population and the conservation of ecosystem services under the pressure of climate change. It argues for a shift from managing ecosystems solely for food to a holistic approach that integrates food production with the maintenance of other nature-based services to avoid irreversible ecological tipping points.

• Food production is a primary driver of ecosystem degradation, contributing to habitat conversion, over-exploitation of freshwater, pollution, and climate change. Specifically, agriculture accounted for approximately 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 and 70% of global freshwater use.
• The pursuit of food production at the expense of other ecosystem services creates a risk of reaching irreversible tipping points. Examples include the collapse of North Atlantic cod stocks in the late 1980s and the potential for the Brazilian Amazon to transition into savanna-like vegetation due to deforestation and climate change, which would devastate regional agriculture.
• Global food demand is projected to double within the next 40 years due to population growth and rising per capita incomes. This demand drives the annual loss of approximately 13 million hectares of forest, with an additional 120-240 million hectares projected for conversion by 2030, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
• To reconcile food production and conservation, the authors propose three key strategies: restoring degraded lands (with over one billion hectares of global potential), increasing productivity on existing farmland through synergistic redesign, and managing food demand by changing diets and reducing waste.
• The paper advocates for a transition from a 'food rules' approach to an 'equal partners' approach. This involves moving from enhancing single services (like crops) to managing a bundle of ecosystem services, shifting incentives from commodity volume to biodiversity and regulating services, and integrating conservation as a core part of food production.

APA

Hanson'], [. R. '. (2010). Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf

Chicago

Hanson'], ['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig. Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hanson'] |first1=['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig |title=Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hanson2010tomorrows, author = {Hanson'], ['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig}, title = {{Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }