Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges

Seddon, Nathalie; Chausson, Alexandre; Berry, Pam; Girardin, Cécile; Smith, Alison C.; Turner, Beth

doi:10.1098/rstb.2019.0120

Cited by 940 publications

(726 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…Therefore, it is imperative to implement other conservation strategies and interventions, in addition to carbon nance, to safeguard the carbon stocks and biodiversity in these vulnerable forests. Obviously, there is a wide range of environmental, socioeconomic, governance and geopolitical factors that can in uence climate strategies, conservation actions and investment decisions 17 . For example, some carbon projects may include nancially unviable sites that are important for biodiversity conservation, maintaining rural livelihoods or provide other co-bene ts of forest protection that may be highly valued by society but not internalized in our analysis 4 .…”

Section: Botswanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest carbon prospecting for climate mitigation

Koh¹,

Zeng²,

Sarira³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Carbon finance projects that protect tropical forests could support both nature conservation and climate mitigation goals. Global demand for nature-based carbon credits is outpacing their supply, due partly to gaps in knowledge needed to inform and prioritize investment decisions. Here, we show that at current carbon market prices the protection of tropical forests can generate investible carbon amounting to 2.4 (±1.1) GtCO2e yr-1 globally. We further show that financially viable carbon projects could generate return-on-investment amounting to $77.5b y-1 in net present value (Asia-Pacific: $38.4b y-1; Americas: $33.4b y-1; Africa: $5.7b y-1). However, we also find that ~75% (1.24 billion ha) of forest carbon sites would be financially unviable for failing to break even over the project lifetime. From a conservation perspective, unless carbon prices increase in the future, it is imperative to implement other conservation interventions, in addition to carbon finance, to safeguard carbon stocks and biodiversity in vulnerable forests.

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Section: Botswanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest carbon prospecting for climate mitigation

Koh¹,

Zeng²,

Sarira³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…secure diverse portfolios of livelihoods to increase resilience to climatic shocks) [64]. In other words, targets must derive from understanding of the effectiveness of NbS, not only on dealing with direct climate change impacts but also on their capacity to provide positive outcomes for ecosystems and people [65]. The dynamic and complex nature of socioecological systems [66] means we are unlikely to find meaningful adaptation targets and simple metrics that work at scales.…”

Section: Developing Policy Targets For Nature-based Solutions That Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to consolidating existing evidence, the research community must also address major knowledge gaps in the science underlying NbS (reviewed in [65]). Studies are needed into how the performance of NbS relative to alternatives varies across different temporal and spatial scales, levels of urgency, socio-economic contexts, and ecological settings, and the extent to which they are "climate proofed" [2,64].…”

Section: Integrating Science Local Knowledge and Policy On Naturebasmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Recognition of the Importance of Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Impacts

Seddon¹,

Daniels²,

Davis³

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

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Ecosystems are not merely vulnerable to climate change but, if sustainably restored and protected, are a major source of human resilience. Not only is the evidence-base for the importance of these “Nature-based Solutions” (NbS) growing rapidly, but NbS are featuring with increasing prominence in global climate change policy. Here we report on the prominence of NbS in the 141 adaptation components of the 167 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that were submitted to UNFCCC by all signatories of the Paris Agreement. In total, 103 nations include NbS in the adaptation component of their NDC, 76 nations include them in both their adaptation and mitigation component, and an additional 27 include them as part of their mitigation plans only. In other words, 130 nations—or 66% of all signatories to the Paris Agreement—have articulated intentions of working with ecosystems, in one form or another, to address the causes and consequences of climate change. However, commitments rarely translate into robust science-based targets. As climate pledges are revised in 2020, we urge the ecosystem science community to work closely with policymakers to identify meaningful adaptation targets that benefit both people and the ecosystems on which they depend.

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“…Without major reductions in emissions from agriculture alongside substantial increases in sequestration such national targets become near impossible. As such, our agriculture and land use sectors face a fiendishly difficult balancing act of ensuring sufficient quantity and quality of food, lower emissions, increased sequestration, protection of natural ecosystems, soil, water, and air quality, and all in the context of a climate that is already changing (Seddon et al, 2020). The prize for humanity of achieving this balance is huge, but the potential pitfalls of "carbon blinkered" rural policy to deliver net zero are enormous.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land Use and Agriculture: Pitfalls and Precautions on the Road to Net Zero

Reay

2020

Front. Clim.

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Land use is a crucial sector in delivering enhanced carbon sequestration globally. At the same time food production is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions. As pressure mounts for all nations to increase their levels of ambition under the Paris Climate Agreement, so the pressure to radically reduce emissions from the agriculture sector and enhance carbon sequestration in the land use sector also ramps up. This trend is most clearly evident in the drive for "net zero" where unavoidable emissions, such as those from food production, are balanced by more sequestration via land use change. Here we examine some of the major risks, applicable safeguards, and potential pathways for agriculture and land use in realizing net zero. Using the UK as an example we highlight the importance of governance, finance, skills, research and technology, and society in this transition. We conclude that successful land use policy for net zero will require extremely demanding levels of integration and spatial resolution, and that the research community has a vital role to play in providing a robust evidence base for this. We also invoke the Cancun safeguards as a basis on which a more sustainable and just transition to net zero might be based. Finally, we warn of unintended distortions to policy and markets if the drive for net zero is too blinkered.

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Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges

Cited by 940 publications

References 115 publications

Forest carbon prospecting for climate mitigation

Forest carbon prospecting for climate mitigation

Global Recognition of the Importance of Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Impacts

Land Use and Agriculture: Pitfalls and Precautions on the Road to Net Zero

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