Nature-Based Solutions to Address Climate Change
The Nature Based Solutions Action Area is calling on all companies to support greater action in support of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate highlighting the importance of nature for addressing the climate crisis as one of the major deliverables for the UN Climate Action Summit.
Nature-Based Solutions are a fundamental part of action for climate and biodiversity. Authoritative research indicates that Nature-Based Solutions can provide over one-third of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize warming to below 2 °C, achieving nature’s mitigation potential of 10-12 gigatons of CO2 per year. Adequate investment in Nature-Based Solutions will help reduce financial consequences of climate change, and contribute to the creation of new jobs, to livelihood resilience and to reducing people’s poverty. Nature-Based Solutions underpin the Sustainable Development Goals: they support vital ecosystem services, biodiversity, and access to fresh water, improved livelihoods, healthy diets and food security from sustainable food systems.
Nature-Based Solutions are an essential component of the overall global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. They are a vital complement to decarbonisation, reducing climate change risks and establishing climate resilient societies. They value harmony between people and nature, as well as ecological development and represent a holistic, people-centred response to climate change. They are effective, long-term, cost-efficient and globally scalable.
Nature-Based Solutions are already being delivered, are visible and credible, and can be exponentially scaled-up if they are fully valued and receive proper investment. Action is needed now to ensure that they achieve their full potential. At present Nature-Based Solutions only receive a small share of climate finance. Success depends on maximizing nature’s contribution to climate action, with intensified Nature-Based Solutions from now onwards. Indeed, there are many examples of best practices and many emerging initiatives are ready for extension and intensification.
To support the UN climate and sustainable development agendas and promote Nature-Based Solutions, we encourage companies to support one or more of the major outcomes areas of focus for the Coalition by:
- Increasing and mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions within national governance, climate action and climate policy-related instruments, including Nationally Determined Contributions, Adaptation Communications, long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, spatial planning, national development plans, building plans;
- Enhancing regional and international co-operation, in ways that encourage ambition, transparency and environment integrity and are supported by popular mobilization and campaigns, by forming synergies with regional and international development cooperation agendas and initiatives that help deliver on SDGs; this includes encouraging the establishment of a Group of Friends for Nature-Based Solutions (GOF4NBS) following the September 2019 Climate Action Summit;
- Generating the shifts needed in both domestic and international governance and finance to value nature and realize the potential of Nature-Based Solutions; ensuring that financial mechanisms are supported with appropriate regulations that are enforced at the national and sub-national levels including promotion and adoption of green supply chains; avoidance of funding for deforestation and other activities that harm ecosystems; increased public and private funding for Nature-Based Solutions investment; promoting green finance and innovative incentive measures to promote Nature-Based Solutions;
- Scaling-up Nature-Based Solutions for mitigation, resilience and adaptation in key areas, ensuring people’s livelihoods in the face of climate threats, including a) the conservation and restoration of forest and other terrestrial ecosystems, b) the conservation and restoration of freshwater resources as well as marine and ocean ecosystems, c) sustainable agriculture and food systems, and d) ensuring nature’s systemic role in sustainable development in ways that end the loss of biodiversity and optimize nature’s contribution tor resilient livelihoods, green infrastructure, sustainable settlements and just rural transitions.
Leaders who wish to commit to enhancing NBS in advance of the UN Climate Action Summit should please send a written note to the co-leads and copy the facilitation team. Email addresses are as follows:
The Nature-Based Coalition Co-Leads would be please if the written note could include the following:
- An expression of willingness to support the Nature-Based Solutions for Climate manifesto and to commit to unlocking the full potential of nature in climate action;
- An indication of the specific actions that will be undertaken to deliver this commitment, especially based around the four priority actions listed above;
- An indication of whether there is a need for support to facilitate
- An indication of interest in the possible Group of Friends for Nature-Based Solutions to sustain attention to the intensification of Nature-Based Solutions after the Summit.
