At the 26th Conference of Parties in Glasgow, several countries set targets of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions, with India committing to do so by 2070. Along with renewable energy generation and decarbonisation, the land-use sector holds tremendous potential in contributing to the net-zero agenda in many developing countries. Any goal to upscale land-based climate interventions in these countries will need to be operationalised in the wider context of ensuring food security, reducing land and soil degradation, and improving land productivity and farmer livelihoods. To be sustainable and scalable, these interventions need to balance equity concerns, developmental goals, and impacts on small and medium land-holding farmers, forest dwellers, and other vulnerable communities. Deeper comprehension is required on how the land-use sector, especially with its socially uneven distribution of risks and benefits, can be further impacted by low carbon and the resulting unequal opportunities and challenges from the transitions.
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