Future land-use competition constrains natural climate solutions

Proposed solutions to anthropogenic climate change: A systematic literature review and a new way forward

“…Unfortunately, despite the promising potential of , they receive very little funding [ 194 ]. This may be due to the perception of NCS as competing with agricultural land use, and indeed this may be the case, as many proponents of NCS also advocate for a reduction in meat (primarily beef) consumption [ 194 , 239 ]. Future food demand and cropland expansion may result in mitigation potential loss of NCS, particularly in the tropics where NCS have the strongest mitigation potential [ 239 ].…”

Large‐scale reforestation can increase water yield and reduce drought risk for water‐insecure regions in the Asia‐Pacific

“…Of the 15 water‐insecure regions in the Asia‐Pacific, 14 cross a domestic state or provincial boundary, while five are transnational, highlighting the need for transboundary cooperation and policies (Lechner et al, 2020; Narain et al, 2020; Teo et al, 2020). There is therefore considerable potential for further research and application of reforestation as a transboundary nature‐based solution for enhancing the water–energy–food nexus (Leck et al, 2015; Sreekar et al, 2022; Taniguchi et al, 2017; Zheng et al, 2022), especially in support of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and pledges by 141 countries to restore ecosystems at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2021 (COP26) (United Nations, 2021).…”

Emissions Gap Report 2023: Broken Record – Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)

“…Cropland and urban expansion therefore also compete with landbased CDR options. Modelling efforts show that cropland expansion to fulfil future food demand is the primary cause of such competition, with more severe impacts seen in the tropics due to their greater land-based mitigation potential (Zheng et al 2022). Such findings highlight that careful spatial planning is essential for sustainable climate policies.…”