About this Research Topic
Land carries a range of crucial ecosystem services essential for human health and well-being, including food, energy, water, carbon storage, biodiversity habitat, living space, and cultural services. Despite the essentially fixed quantity of land, driven by economic and population growth, the demand for land services is expected to increase. Simultaneously, habitats for species and agricultural land are being lost due to the expansion of cities and infrastructure. It is foreseeable that achieving climate goals, particularly limiting global warming to 1.5 °C by 2100, will intensify the need for a balanced approach to land use. Therefore, developing sustainable land use strategies is crucial for achieving the sustainable development of human society.
However, the latest Global Stock take report released by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) secretariat in September 2023 concluded that the world has not made substantial progress in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. In early October, another comprehensive report from the UNFCCC secretariat further pointed out that governments worldwide generally believe past climate actions have been insufficient to meet the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement, signaling a deviation from the correct path. Rectifying this situation requires additional actions from all parties and support for developing countries to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, thus avoiding irreversible losses and damages to human development and adapting to climate change.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on achieving carbon neutrality through the design of sustainable land use strategies that balance development goals. These efforts necessitate new perspectives and enhanced capacities to address the global challenges reflected in the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As COP 28 (28th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC) approaches, our special issue aims to bring together diverse researchers and practitioners to share the latest developments in sustainable land use, delve into the key aspects of sustainable land use in the context of climate change, and emphasize crucial directions for future research. We invite high-quality submissions in the form of full-length reviews, mini reviews, perspective articles, and original research.
Authors are encouraged to submit contributions but are not limited to the following topics:
- Carbon emissions from land use and land cover change
- Socio-economic costs and benefits of land management measures and carbon reduction contributions
- Multi-objective trade-off scenarios for land use in the context of climate change
- Sustainable land use strategies at different spatial scales
- Supporting developing countries to cope with the irreversible damage caused by climate change.
However, the latest Global Stock take report released by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) secretariat in September 2023 concluded that the world has not made substantial progress in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. In early October, another comprehensive report from the UNFCCC secretariat further pointed out that governments worldwide generally believe past climate actions have been insufficient to meet the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement, signaling a deviation from the correct path. Rectifying this situation requires additional actions from all parties and support for developing countries to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, thus avoiding irreversible losses and damages to human development and adapting to climate change.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on achieving carbon neutrality through the design of sustainable land use strategies that balance development goals. These efforts necessitate new perspectives and enhanced capacities to address the global challenges reflected in the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As COP 28 (28th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC) approaches, our special issue aims to bring together diverse researchers and practitioners to share the latest developments in sustainable land use, delve into the key aspects of sustainable land use in the context of climate change, and emphasize crucial directions for future research. We invite high-quality submissions in the form of full-length reviews, mini reviews, perspective articles, and original research.
Authors are encouraged to submit contributions but are not limited to the following topics:
- Carbon emissions from land use and land cover change
- Socio-economic costs and benefits of land management measures and carbon reduction contributions
- Multi-objective trade-off scenarios for land use in the context of climate change
- Sustainable land use strategies at different spatial scales
- Supporting developing countries to cope with the irreversible damage caused by climate change.
Keywords: Sustainable Land Use; Climate Change; Paris Agreement; Global Warming; Developing Countries
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
