Nature-based solutions in response to climate change

Nature-based solutions (NbS) to address climate change disaster risk Approaches that use ecosystems and natural processes to reduce the effects of extreme weather events. These interventions also aim to strengthen the resilience of communities and ecosystems.

In a literature review published recently in the journal Science of The Total Environment, an international team led by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US examined more than 20,000 scientific files and concluded that SbN is an economically effective method to reduce environmental risks. There was. An increasing series of disasters due to global warming.

Although SbNs are now recognized by major national policies and global agreements, there is still little scientific knowledge about their cost-effectiveness and equity outcomes, according to the study’s primary author, professor Marta Vicarelli of UMass Amherst. The review showed that: Although effective, The benefits of these approaches are still underestimatedthe sustainable development expert said in a statement.

Review of studies on nature-based solutions

Of the 20,000 English-language studies reviewed by researchers for the current article, 77% said: nature-based solutions have consistently proven to be a cost-effective approach to reducing risks24% of studies find these interventions to be economical under certain conditions. Of the NBSs that are effective in reducing risks, 80% are associated with mangroves, 77% with forests and 73% with coastal ecosystems.

In comparative studies between SbN and engineering-based solutions (focusing on creating artificial structures), the former proved more effective in reducing risks for 65% of authors, while 24% thought they were moderately more effective. No studies have found nature-based solutions to be less effective than engineering solutions.

Although all studies reviewed analyzed the risk mitigation benefits of NBS (such as protection against flooding, erosion, or landslides), many did not consider some additional benefits, such as preserving biodiversity, mitigating climate, and supporting communities in need.

Why are the benefits of nature-based solutions overlooked?

Regarding the benefits of Sbn, which are clearly underestimated by most studies, Vicarelli explains in a statement that this may have happened because these evaluations focused on short-term practical aspects, and mainly, because some of these benefits often include intangible or difficult-to-measure components.

“How should we value improvements in air quality or soil quality? How should we value the conservation of an endangered species or the overall increase in biodiversity after the implementation of SbN? But how about estimating the cultural and even spiritual value of an environmental asset?”, Vicarelli’ exemplifies.

Although nature-based solutions are often funded by the public sector or even privately owned, this funding is still inadequate, and for these solutions to have a truly global impact, Vicarelli says a significant portion of these resources must be transferred. He argues that he comes from the private sector.

How to integrate into climate policies?

Although increasingly recognized as effective in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, nature-based solutions face some obstacles in being formally integrated into climate policies.

This is often linked to difficulties in measuring their efficiency, the use of inappropriate financial models and governance structures that are resistant to change.

Overcoming these obstacles, the authors say, requires significant changes in at least two areas: rethinking how interdisciplinary research is conducted and reorganizing the way the institutions responsible for implementing and supporting NBS work to make them more effective and collaborative. and agile.

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