Land Use in a Future Climate Agreement

Summary

This paper explores options for including land use in a future (post-2020) climate change agreement as anticipated by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP). Options are considered with an eye toward reaching agreement under the ADP, keeping in mind the level of ambition of global efforts, and the need to accelerate the reduction of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 
The paper discusses the features of land use that have meant it has been treated differently from other sectors in agreements on future climate. It assesses options to increase the coverage and mitigation effectiveness of land-use contributions, and explores requirements for increasing the clarity, transparency and understanding of these contributions. The goal of the paper is to provide options to incentivize the land-use sector to increase mitigation efforts.