The Land Gap Report – challenging the ‘Net’ in Net Zero

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: On Zoom

Net Zero is progress. Or is it? The Land Gap Report asks the question 'Where is all this land that countries plan to use as carbon sinks to achieve net Zero?' and finds some very challenging answers.

Report lead author Dr Kate Dooley will be speaking to us about the Land Gap report which examines land use and climate change. There simply isn't enough land to expect to be able to offset business as usual for the fossil fuel industry. Over-reliance on carbon removals could push ecosystems, land rights and food security to the brink with new land area equivalent to 50 percent of the world’s croplands currently being required to meet climate targets. Protecting and restoring forests, recognising land rights and developing agroecology are critical for a safer climate future.

Climate pledges should focus on protecting and restoring existing ecosystems with carbon benefits.

Dr Kate Dooley is a Research Fellow at Melbourne University’s Climate & Energy College. Kate has policy expertise on forest governance, climate change and carbon accounting and has almost two decades experience advising government and non-government organisations.

Kate has worked globally with environmental movements and non-governmental organisations, focussing on the intersection of forest governance and climate policy.  Kate has published on rights-based approaches to ecosystem restoration, the politics of forest carbon accounting, and land-use for sustainable development. She is currently researching the potential for ambitious restoration of natural ecosystems to remove and lock up atmospheric carbon.

Please join us at 7:30pm on Zoom. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.