¿What's about Land Use?

[former_member682112]

Recently, I have finished a nice course of OpenSAP named "Business Success with Climate Action". It have liked me very much, because it's first time I see a global point of view related to sustainability and climate change. It's important, of course, although perhaps this course is some "carbon-centric" and I don't see too many words related to other important parameters as Land Use.

I believe that it is a very important parameter, because there are thousand of tons of CO2 that are poured to the atmosphere only when you plow new lands or, simply, when performing the usual cultivation operations (plowing, fertilize, harvesting, etc).

On the other hand, phenomena such as desertification and desertization of large cultivated areas are closely related to climate change and the management of natural resources.

When will we be able to measure that we are making good use of arable land and moving towards more sustainable agriculture globally?

Thanks in advance:

[priyadarshini_prabhoo]

Hello Juan Manuel,

Excellent question!

Indeed, land use is an important 'natural capital', and needs to be addressed by any new climate action solution, so as to take a holistic view.

And in fact, SAP's Climate 21 initiative considers all these dimensions in our vision. But like all journeys of a thousand miles, one has to start somewhere, with an initial focus. We have taken that focus to be CO2e. Simply because, many companies, especially who are SAP's customers, have already put in place 'decarbonization' strategies. And we from SAP want to ensure we are meeting our customers' unmet needs first.

Also, on a practical note, most of the discussions on climate change today are focused on reduction in CO2e emissions. A lot of research has already gone into studying this issue scientifically, by businesses, governments and other key stakeholders like Science-based Targets organizations. Hence is is a good starting point.

After the foundation for CO2e dimension is laid, we will start work on others like Land Use, Water, etc. and how how these dimensions can be embedded in the end-to-end processes reduce climate impact.

For land use, it is being massively helped by newer better technologies to understand the problem deeply. Great example is Satellite imagery giving high resolution images.

Recommend reading this article on land use of urban areas as a good example and how these new technologies can help urban/city planners to consider land use in their decision making.

New Land Use Mapping Paints a Clearer Picture of Urban Life | TheCityFix

Climate action and Sustainable planet initiatives need holistic thinking to find solutions which consider all ‘natural capital’ dimensions. ESG and UN SDG are good strategic frameworks to start. Using these frameworks, more collaboration between scientific research, exponential technologies and practical applications are needed to solve the urgent and important challenge of climate change - across all sustainability dimensions.

Good luck on your sustainable journey!

[former_member682112]

Thanks for your answer, Mrs. Prabhoo (¿Is it your surname?).

I understand that the "climate action" must begin at some place. However, there is an issue: Land use is highly related with CO2 emissions.

When you're plowing a new soil, for example, part of the organic matter in the soil decomposes. The product of this decomposition is, by a side, CO2 and, by other side, water (it's more difficult than this, but approximately is correct). This organic matter degradation continues until it entirely decomposes or, depending of the plow practices, reach an stable level. If a soil, by bad use of land, lost all its organic matter or its quantity isn't enough, introduces itself into an spiral of degradation until it transform into a not arable land. With some additional time, it can be part of an arid area as a desert.

The moral of this whole topic is that food farming (agriculture and livestock) is like a factory but it is also an ecosystem where there is an interaction between agricultural management and flora and fauna. And there is a lot of CO2 that is lost or not fixed to living organic matter if soil, flora and fauna (both wild and domestic) management is deficient.

I was thinking if there are some type of relations between the soil management and lifecycle of food farming products when you're calculating your carbon footprint. Is it possible?. Are there, for example, a relationship among different types of agricultural practices, sustainable management and decarbonization?. I understand it must be very difficult, although I think also it's important to a whole management of sustainaiblity.

Regards and "sustainable" thanks in advance.

[klaus-jo · Accepted solution]

WRI and wbcsd are currently working to update its GHG Protocol guidance for AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use) with the goal to incorporate land use into scope 1,2 and 3 of it's CO2e footprint and into emission targets. The recording of the webinar can be accessed here.

The WWF is working in the frame work of the SBTi (Science Based Target Initiative) on a target for FLAG to incorporate science based targets for land use in corporate sustainability targets. Details can be find in the same webinar and additional here

[former_member682112]

It's an interesting approach. I must see it with more details, but it look like a good idea for Natural Capital Accounting.

Thank you very much, Klaus. Kind Regards.