{"id":13007,"date":"2019-08-14T11:18:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T15:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=13007"},"modified":"2019-08-15T11:08:41","modified_gmt":"2019-08-15T15:08:41","slug":"the-role-of-land-conservation-in-fighting-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-role-of-land-conservation-in-fighting-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Land Conservation in Fighting Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The climate crisis often evokes images\nof coal-burning power plants, oil rigs drilling for fossil fuels, and congested\nroadways filled with gas-guzzling vehicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about the land that surrounds us? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate\nChange (IPCC) has told us that we are in the fight of our lives to limit global\nwarming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Land plays an\nimportant role in the climate system and is already under growing pressure from\nhuman impacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their most recent special report<\/a>, scientists describe how agriculture, deforestation, desertification and other human activities have altered 70% of the land on the Earth\u2019s surface. Not only are these changes contributing to a warming climate, they are also reducing the ability of forests and other natural systems to store greenhouse gases that drive climate change.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, to make matters worse, climate\nchange exacerbates land degradation through increases in extreme weather,\nrainfall intensity, flooding, drought frequency and intensity, heat stress,\nwind, and sea-level rise. Science tells us these natural hazards will continue to\nimpact our land, people\u2019s health, and our economies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IPCC report calls out some key land use recommendations for policymakers to consider in the near term in order to maintain land productivity, increase food security, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n