SHERPA Position Paper - Climate Change and Land Use

Climate change is leading to the transformations in uses of land in Europe, at variable rates and types of change. Policies for mitigating climate change are directing changes in land use towards renewable energy generation, woodland expansion, management of natural capital through restoring peatlands and carbon rich soils, and changes in agricultural and land systems, collectively contributing to visions for rural areas of a wellbeing economy. However, spatial planning and suitable governance structures are required to ensure these mitigation actions require to be in places where the greatest impacts on mitigating climate change can be realised (e.g. where energy resource is significant; construction of renewable energy does not release more carbon than it could offset; planting woodland does not release more carbon than it can sequester; agricultural production systems do not increase demand on transporting water). However, such actions must ensure benefits (economic, social, environmental) remain higher than their respective costs.