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Book Review
Mitigating climate change through food and land use, Sara J. Scherr and Sajal Sthapit Worldwatch Institute (2009)
Reviewed by Anna Ranuzzi
Climate change regulators are sensitive to the idea that no strategy for mitigating global climate change can be complete or successful without reducing emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land uses. However, it is only recently that these types of initiatives have started to get to the forefront of government actions.
Thirty per cent of greenhouse gas emissions arise from the land use sector therefore it is clear that no economic, technological or regulatory solution will be successful if it has not integrated strategies to reduce emissions from land uses. This book “advances a complete and compelling view of how a better land use management and more sustainable agricultural strategies can largely contribute in our fight against climate change in developed and developing countries. The book reviews five major strategies for reducing and sequestering terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions:
- Enriching soil carbon;
- Farming with perennials;
- Climate friendly live stock production;
- Protecting natural habitat; and
- Restoring degraded watersheds and rangelands.
The book also explains how these strategies could fit in the different ecosystems around the world. The book also highlights the problems that could lie behind some of the strategies that try to enhance financial payment for ecosystems services.
More information here.