Abstract:

Summary for policymakers (SPM) for the special report on climate change and land of the IPCC has been approved on August 7, 2019. The Chapter 3 of the report assesses the relationship between climate change and desertification, and some new insights include: drylands and desertification range, desertification process and influencing factors, desertification change detection and attribution, desertification impacts on natural and socio-economic systems, desertification response to climate change, future climate change impacts and risks to desertification, the linking of the response to desertification and adaptation and mitigation to climate change. There are still shortcomings in estimating desertification change, detection and attribution of desertification change, the impacts of desertification on natural and socio-economic systems, desertification response to climate change, the linking of addressing desertification and adaptation and mitigation to climate change. These understandings recognize China’s dryland and desertification range changes, desertification impacts factors and process, desertification change detection and attribution, the impacts of desertification on natural and socio-economic systems, desertification response to climate change, and future climate change impacts on desertification. There are important implications for risks and the links between combating desertification and adapting and mitigating climate change.

Key words: Desertification, Climate change, Impact, Attribution, Mitigation, Adaptation