13 July 2015: In their joint op-ed, titled ‘The Land Battle for Sustainable Development,’ Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), underscore the “huge, largely untapped potential for rapid gains in both the fight against climate change and efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs].”

The article was published by Project Syndicate as a contribution to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), which took place from 12-16 July 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Asserting that “there are reasons to be optimistic about the fight against climate change and the pursuit of sustainable development,” the three UN leaders highlight current high levels of investment in energy efficiency and conservation as promising steps forward. They note, however, that the importance of improved land management to win the fight against climate change “has largely been overlooked.” They warn that this risks depriving the world of “crucial tools in the creation of a low-carbon future” and missing “important opportunities to build resilience and adapt to the effects of rising temperatures.”

The opinion piece emphasizes that better land management could not only reduce emissions, “but also trap the equivalent of 7-10 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year by 2030,” which is “roughly half the emissions we need to cut in the coming decades to meet the international goal of preventing a global rise in average surface temperature of more than 2º Celsius.”

Pointing to the three million hectares of vegetation lost every year, on average, the three leaders further note the benefits for vulnerable people and smallholder farmers of maximizing the land’s potential and protecting its vegetation, stressing that “this could help preserve the livelihoods of more than two billion people – many of whom live in abject poverty, at risk of conflict and displacement if the natural resources on which they depend continue to be overused and depleted.” [Project Syndicate Opinion Piece] [IISD RS Coverage of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development]