By reducing the amount of land used for agriculture, we can make room for natural areas that benefit biodiversity, the aquatic environment, and the climate, among other things. But how do we do that? And what will this challenge require in terms of innovative thinking, collaboration, and cultural shifts? The paths to change were put up for debate at this year’s Climate People’s Assembly, where questions came pouring in.
To help the audience better understand the topic, Morten Knudsen, associate professor at CBS and a member of IPBES’s Danish expert committee, Ida Auken (Social Democrats), Nis Kristian Hjort, chair of the Vejle-Fredericia Farmers’ Association, and Jannik Seslef, project manager for the Municipality of Assens, were invited to participate in a debate on Day 2 of the Climate People’s Assembly.
Watch highlights from the debate here:
In its April 2024 report on land use, *Denmark’s Future Land Use* (2024), the Climate Council has emphasized that agricultural land, for example, can be reduced by one-third through the use of appropriate policy measures while maintaining agricultural production.
In this way, Denmark can make room for large natural areas that—if properly protected and located—can yield significant benefits for Denmark’s biodiversity, aquatic environment, and climate balance. But the big question is, how could we go about it? The challenge requires innovative thinking, collaboration, and cultural changes that are a far cry from “business as usual.”
Watchthe video from the first debate here: Climate People’s Assembly 2024: Denmark’s Future Land Use
On the Path to “Transformative Change”
The debate at the Climate People’s Assembly therefore focused on the challenges associated with changes in land management in the future. How will farmers and landowners be able to set aside one-third of their agricultural land? What are the barriers, who is leading the way, and what will this enormous challenge require in terms of innovative thinking and collaboration?
In addition to the debate being timely given that the government had announced its decision to establish a green tripartite ministry just a few days earlier, the debate was also timely in light of the upcoming global consensus report from IPBES on transformative changes, which is expected to be adopted at the IPBES plenary meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, in December.
The report is expected to play a pivotal role in addressing the key factors necessary to tackle global environmental crises, including the biodiversity crisis, and to help reverse this trend.
Get more information about the upcoming IPBES plenary meeting here: IPBES 11 Plenary – IPBES Secretariat
