Land Under Pressure: How Environmental Policymaking is Redefining Access to Resources

Geneva, Switzerland — From the lithium plains of Bolivia to the highland wind farms of Kenya, a new land scramble is underway. This time, it’s driven not by colonisation or agribusiness, but by environmental imperatives — from carbon reduction to biodiversity protection.

The 30th session of the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy will convene in Geneva, Switzerland - 26-28 November, 2025 - at the Palais des Nations. (Photo: Samuel Borges)

As global governments double down on climate commitments, questions over who controls land, who benefits from green transitions, and who is displaced are taking centre stage.

This November, the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy convenes in Geneva to confront these tradeoffs. It’s a pivotal moment to examine how land access is being reshaped — sometimes for sustainability, sometimes for sacrifice.

Green Energy, Grey Areas

Around the world, solar, wind, and hydropower projects are booming — and so are disputes over where they are built. In northern Kenya, Indigenous groups like the Samburu and Turkana have protested the construction of wind farms on ancestral grazing lands, citing lack of consultation and compensation.

“We support clean energy,” says activist Lydia Lemuya, “but not at the cost of our heritage and sovereignty.”

In Bolivia, expanding lithium extraction for electric vehicles is draining water sources and damaging Indigenous farming systems. Communities in the Salar de Uyuni are demanding equitable royalties and local land control in exchange for global green profits.

Protected for Whom?

Governments are expanding protected areas to meet biodiversity targets. But many of these expansions occur without fully recognizing customary rights. In Southeast Asia, forest dwellers have been evicted from lands now designated as conservation zones or carbon sinks.

“We protect these forests better than any bureaucracy,” says Somchai Yuwanon, a land rights leader in Thailand. “But now we’re called trespassers in our own home.”

Environmental Justice in Policy

Environmental policymaking is often framed as a moral imperative. But when it fails to centre equity, it risks creating a new form of dispossession.

The Geneva meeting will feature case studies from across the UNECE region — including land use zoning reform in Romania and renewable land auctions in Central Asia. Experts say the time is ripe to embed participatory land governance into all environmental policy frameworks.

“Land must be recognized as more than a commodity or climate lever,” says Dr. Nora Ahmed of the Land and Equity Forum. “It’s the basis of rights, identity, and justice.”

Reimagining Land Use

As new zoning regimes emerge to accommodate both development and conservation, hybrid models are gaining traction. These include co-management agreements, benefit-sharing in green infrastructure, and land-back initiatives.

Geneva may not resolve all tensions. But this meeting could lay the groundwork for a future where sustainability doesn’t come at the cost of land justice.