Our reliance on nature is absolute. Human society can no longer afford to choose between its progress and environmental sustainability. Today, the imperative is clear: The world must invest in and work with nature to address both the climate and biodiversity crises, for the sake of current and future generations.
Leveraging every proven and scalable tool we have to avoid these crises escalating is crucial. Reducing fossil fuel emissions is at the forefront; yet additional climate mitigation strategies are also needed, particularly in the land sector. Natural climate solutions (NCS) offer some of the most immediately scalable and cost-effective options for this additional climate mitigation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from land use as well as capturing carbon from the atmosphere in the biosphere.
NCS encompass a range of practices aimed at protecting, managing, and restoring forest, grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural lands. However, not all land management practices qualify as effective climate solutions. To be considered as such, they must deliver measurable climate mitigation that exceeds baseline conditions and persists over time. They must not compromise biodiversity and must be equitable and developed in partnership with local communities. When executed effectively, NCS can also contribute to cleaner air and water, improved livelihoods, and more resilient communities.
While new tools are available to optimize climate returns from finite investments, NCS implementation is currently hindered by insufficient policies and lagging financial investment. Governments can help by redirecting subsidies from environmentally harmful activities toward climate-positive ones. Corporations can help by reducing emissions within their own supply chains, financing environmentally sustainable practices, and funding additional climate initiatives through high-quality carbon markets. Financial institutions have a role to play as well, by supporting more climate- and nature-positive investments and fostering new transition finance mechanisms. No sector can accomplish these goals single-handedly. Only through synergistic collaboration can a nature-positive world become reality.
15 January 2024
Bloom or bust
Bloom or bust
It is dawning on the global community that biodiversity loss requires just as swift action as climate change. The urgent need for a more holistic approach to confronting it is expressed in the Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Achieving this goal demands bold action.
