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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Food matters: Healthy diets increase the economic and physical feasibility of 1.5°C
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Transforming energy, land use, production and consumption to safeguard Global Commons
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Earth’s freshwater cycle out of stable state
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Citizens' Assembly on nutrition recommends steps towards a more sustainable diet
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Increasing nitrogen fertilization could pollute rivers and worsen water scarcity
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Transforming food systems could create multi-trillion dollars of economic benefits every year
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More rain, fewer droughts – rainfall effects from targeted forestation can reduce climate change
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CO2 emissions at record high in 2023
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A full picture of planetary resilience: All boundaries mapped out, six of nine crossed
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Potsdam scientists coordinate the Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity which published "10 Must-Knows from Biodiversity Science".