Human Rights Online Philippines

No Time to Waste: Climate action through secure land rights and sustainable land use

The impacts of climate change on human communities and land-use systems can bear heavily on people’s land access and land tenure in ways that affect their homes and livelihoods, well-being, and sense of security. Communities may be hit by sudden and extreme events such as storms and floods, or they may gradually be detached from their homes and lands as a result of slow-onset environmental degradation, such as sea-level rise, and overall shifts in weather patterns.

But while climate change affects everyone, it disproportionately impacts the lives and livelihoods of those who are poor and lack land tenure rights. Poverty often forces people to cultivate marginal lands or occupy fragile public land or areas that are vulnerable to erosion, flooding, high tides, and storm surges. Moreover, the lack of tenure security limits people’s choices and diminishes their capacity to recover and rebuild when a disaster strikes.

This publication attempts to describe the links between land rights, climate change, and resource management. It also shares experiences from rural communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Click the link to access the document @angoc.org

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