Climate Change and Land - an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems

Sep 4, 2026

Climate Change and Land presents an IPCC special assessment focused on how a changing climate interacts with land systems. It evaluates the land-climate dynamics and examines challenges such as desertification, land degradation, and food security, including their economic and social dimensions. The report also reviews governance and decision-making options across multiple scales, combining interdisciplinary expertise to inform policy-relevant mitigation and adaptation actions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages906

Reading Time38 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword and Preface

Foreword

Climate Change and Land An IPCC Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems Edited by Valérie Masson-Delmotte Co-Chair Working Group I Hans-Otto Pörtner Co-Chair Working Group II Jim Skea Co-Chair Working Group III Raphael Slade Head of TSU (Science) Marion Ferrat Head of Communications Suvadip Neogi Scientist Joana Portugal Pereira Senior Scientist Katie Kissick Head of TSU (Operations) Eduardo Calvo Buendía Co-Chair TFI Sarah Connors Senior Science Officer Eamon Haughey Senior Scientist Minal Pathak Senior Scientist Purvi Vyas Science Officer Malek Belkacemi IT/Web Manager Panmao Zhai Co-Chair Working Group I Debra Roberts Co-Chair Working Group II Priyadarshi R. Shukla Co-Chair Working Group III Renée van Diemen Scientist Sigourney Luz Communications Manager Jan Petzold Science Officer Elizabeth Huntley Head of TSU (Operations) Juliette Malley Senior Administrator Front cover photograph: Agricultural landscape between Ankara and Hattusha, Anatolia, Turkey (40°00’N–33°35’E) [www.yannarthusbertrand.org | www.goodplanet.org](www.yannarthusbertrand.org | www.goodplanet.org). © Yann Arthus-Bertrand © 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Electronic copies of this report are available from the [IPCC website www.ipcc.ch](IPCC website www.ipcc.ch) [Use the following reference to cite the entire volume:](Use the following reference to cite the entire volume:) IPCC, 2019: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, E. Calvo Buendia,V. Masson-Delmotte, H.-O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, P. Zhai, R. Slade, S. Connors, R. van Diemen, M. Ferrat, E. Haughey, S. Luz, S. Neogi, M. Pathak, J. Petzold, J. Portugal Pereira, P. Vyas, E. Huntley, K. Kissick, M. Belkacemi, J. Malley,(eds.)] . In press. Foreword and Preface Foreword Foreword Foreword Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, also known as the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), is the second Special Report to be produced in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6) . It has been jointly produced by IPCC Working Groups I, II and III in association with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Over two years in the making, this report highlights the multiple interactions between climate change and land. It assesses the dynamics of the land-climate system, and the economic and social dimensions of addressing the challenges of land degradation, desertification and food security in a changing climate. It also assesses the options for governance and decision-making across multiple scales. This report is interdisciplinary in nature and brings together an unprecedented number of experts from varying fields of research. Their expertise ranges from agricultural systems and rural livelihoods to nutrition and forestry. Over 52 different countries from all regions of the world were represented in the chapter teams, and, for the first time in an IPCC report, a majority of authors – 53% – were from developing countries. This reflects the important role that developing countries play in climate change research and decision-making, particularly in the context of land. The IPCC provides policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and risks, as well as adaptation and mitigation options. Since it was established jointly in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),

FAQs

What scope does the report cover regarding land and climate?

It assesses interactions between climate change and land, focusing on desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.

How is the report produced within the IPCC process?

It is jointly produced by IPCC Working Groups I, II, and III, in association with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, within the IPCC Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6).

What kinds of policy-relevant issues does the report evaluate?

It evaluates governance and decision-making options across multiple scales and considers adaptation and mitigation challenges tied to land degradation, desertification, and food security.

Sep 4, 2026

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