What land is used for is a major piece of the sustainability puzzle. Agriculture for instance is a part of the problem but also a pivotal part of the solution to mitigate climate change, if managed smartly. Land is a scarce resource – it is needed to produce food for a growing world population, while at the same time forests and peatlands need to be preserved so they can fulfill their role in the earth system. Understanding multiple ecosystem services helps to understand the trade-offs involved in land-use and land-use change. In many cases it is a matter of “how” – how farmers contribute to and suffer from climate change and what can be done about it; how forests are used and protected; how freshwater is managed.
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Little potential for “climate plantations” within planetary boundaries
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Transforming China’s food system: Healthy diets lead the way
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Climate fee on food could effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture while ensuring a social balance
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Growing Divide: Agricultural Climate Policies Affect Food Prices Differently in Wealthy and Poor Countries
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IPBES Nexus Report: Integrated solutions to address interconnected global crises
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Transforming land management within planetary boundaries key to addressing global land use crisis
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Scientific Climate Council of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Climate protection is important for Brandenburg's future viability’
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PIK expertise at COP29 in Azerbaijan
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New report: Global water crisis threatens more than half of world food production
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Deputy Head of Research Department
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Transfer (Knowledge/Technology)
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Global Commons
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Planetary Boundaries
Tipping Elements
CO2 Removal
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Biodiversity
Potsdam scientists coordinate the Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity which published "10 Must-Knows from Biodiversity Science".