Land Use and Climate Change: A Global Perspective on Mitigation Options: Discussion

• Published in: American journal of agricultural economics 2011-01, Vol.93 (2), p.356-357
• Main Author: Alig, Ralph J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Agriculture; Agroforestry; Bioenergy; Biofuels; Carbon emissions; Carbon pricing; Climate change; Climate change policy; Economic theory; Energy crops; Environmental degradation; Environmental economics; Forests; International; Land use; Land Use and Climate Change: A Global Perspective on Mitigation Options; Livestock; Studies; Wood market
• ISSN: 0002-9092; 1467-8276
• DOI: 10.1093/ajae/aaq085

Land use change can play a very significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, as part of efficient portfolios of many land-related activities. Questions involving forestry's and agriculture's potential contributions to climate change mitigation are framed within a national context of increased demands for cropland, forage, and wood products to help feed and house an additional 3 billion people globally by 2050, increased land demand for bioenergy production, and millions of hectares of land needed to house another 125 million U.S. residents by midcentury. Three quite different papers, although all share use of Global Trade Analysis Project modeling or data, usefully examine land use and climate change with a global perspective on mitigation options. The author summarizes highlights and examples of commonalities and differences, with a view toward promoting better dovetailing of research across disciplines and sectors to aid in solving a global issue.