WIDER Working Paper No. 2013/107 Land, environment and climate: Contributing to the global public good

This paper discusses global public goods related to the world’s land resources, their current provision and likely future provision, their potential impacts on the world’s poorest households, as well as prospects for using foreign assistance to enhance these outcomes. Specifically, the paper discusses: carbon sequestration, the provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services, water management, and investments in research, policies, and institutions to facilitate adaptation to climate change. Within this context, access to geospatial analysis tools and information on climate, land use and tenure, poverty and environmental indicators will become increasingly valuable to both public and private decision makers.