Land Use in a Future Climate Agreement

Land use has a reputation for complexity and has in the past impeded as well as catalyzed international climate negotiations. It seems important, therefore, prior to Parties’ meeting later this year in Paris, to consider what elements from the negotiating text provided by the Geneva meeting in February 2015 should be included in the Paris Agreement.

This briefing note presents the results of an analysis of the Geneva text with this in mind. It suggests what specific to land-use needs to be included, what can be left to subsequent detailed negotiations, and what will be covered by general provisions of the Paris Agreement. The paper also summarizes what explanations should be sought on nationally determined contributions to achieve transparency.