Destination 5: Land Ocean and Water for Climate Action

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out credible pathways that contribute to climate action on land - including forestland, grassland, cropland and wetland - as well as on oceans and water and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:

• better understanding and strengthening of the mitigation potential of ecosystems and sectors based on the sustainable management of natural resources;
• advancement of science and technology to support the adaptation and resilience of natural and managed ecosystems, on land, in the ocean, in water and soil systems as well as economic sectors in the context of the changing climate, including interaction with drivers of biodiversity change and zero pollution;
• efficient monitoring, assessment, modelling and data-driven decision-making support systems and projections related to climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation potential in order to derive solutions for tackling existing and emerging threats and support decision-making in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies at European and global levels, including through the use of AI and other digital solutions;
• increased climate change mitigation in the primary sectors, including by means of reducing their GHG emissions and other pollutants, maintaining natural and man-made carbon sinks and increasing uptake and storage of carbon in ecosystems, taking into account trade-offs with regard to ecosystems;
• improved capacity to climate change of the ocean, sea, water and soil systems and related sectors to adapt to climate change, including by means of unlocking the potential of nature-based solutions;
• sustainable management of scarce resources, in particular soils and water, therefore mitigating climate related risks, especially desertification and erosion, thanks to informed decision-makers and stakeholders and the integration of adaptation measures in relevant EU policies.