Fighting climate change with nature based solutions

Nature based solutions can be defined as a collection of actions and policies that harness the power of nature to protect and restore ecosystems. It involves conserving and better managing ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide and the environment.

One of the best known nature – based solutions for climate change is planting forests, but there are many more such solutions including, but not limited to, mangroves, peatlands, wetlands, coral reefs.

We are faced with a dual crisis. Today over a million plant and animal species are facing extinction – more than ever before in human history. At the same time the climate emergency threatens to expose millions of people to extreme heat waves and leave a billion people affected by sea level rise over the next few decades.

In such a scenario, nature based solutions are required to protect and enhance biodiversity. Such solutions can transform our energy, land, urban and industrial systems.

Regenerative farming is one such solution, as it works to harness the power of nature rather than depleting it. It improves soil health, and healthy soil is the biggest carbon pool on the planet. A regenerative practice called agroforestry not only increases carbon storage but it also creates a protective canopy that helps to regulate temperature and humidity, boost biodiversity and improve productivity.

Several countries across the world have applies nature based solutions. Argentina launched the Forest AR2030 – an initiative aimed to restore two million hectares of forest land. Italy has developed an instrument through which local enterprises and firms can decrease their carbon footprint by paying for local afforestation and contributing to the community’s environmental and social benefits.

India too can leverage these global practices and harness multiple benefits by implementing nature based solutions. Planting mangroves can play a crucial role in climate-proofing India's coastal cities. Such solutions can help mitigate the urban heat island problem, urban flooding and poor air quality to develop resilient cities.

There are of course, certain challenges that need to be dealt with. Finance around nature based solutions isn’t adequate. Much more investment is needed to unlock the full potential of it. Much of the world still seems to favour destruction for the sake of short term gains over long term benefits of sustainable management. Governments possess limited technical expertise to identify targets and integrate them into their development strategies.

One of the first steps should be advocating for policy changes and increased inclusion of sustainable nature based solutions in national climate targets. We also need to keep in mind that these solutions are not an alternative to decarbonization. That must continue unabated. These practices should respect local communities and indigenous rights. They must also support biodiversity from the level of the gene to the ecosystem.