On Nature-Based Solutions
15/09/23 at 9:31 PM
I first heard about Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) while taking a Learning For Climate Action course at Terra. Do. I love nature, so I had an inherent bias towards the word itself. But the more I read about it, the more my mind kept getting blown.
Nature-based solutions are one of the most exciting and promising areas of investment in the climate space. In fact, they offer the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change, reverse biodiversity loss, enhance economic development, alleviate poverty, improve the quality of life, and preserve our entire ecosystem.
Pretty impressive, huh?
Nature-based solutions include forests, grasslands, peatlands, and coastal zones like mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. Interestingly enough, Coastal Wetlands can absorb 50% more carbon than forests, but their potential hasn’t been well understood by governments and businesses alike.
Since 1900, 63% of Coastal Wetlands have been lost due to agricultural activities and infrastructure development. And in just the last two decades, over 420 million hectares of forests and peatlands have been destroyed - an area bigger than India!
INVESTMENT STATE OF MIND
Scientists have been saying this for years, but we’ve been too slow to respond. So I’ll reinstate it here again and quote Capital For Climate on it:
“If we are to restore our Ecosystem and meet our climate targets, we need to quadruple investments from $133B to $500B per year in four solutions - Reforestation and Afforestation, Mangrove Restoration, Peatland Restoration, and Silvopasture”.
If we manage to restore even 15% of our degraded Ecosystem in priority areas, we could avoid 60% of expected extinctions and sequester up to 299 GtCO2e, which is roughly 30% of the total CO2 increase since the Industrial Revolution!
Holy Mother of God.
In fact, it’s clear that without proper investment in Nature-Based Solutions, we can’t achieve our Net-Zero targets in 2050 or at any other time at all.
*Check the glossary below to understand some of these terms. I still get amazed by how crazily complex and self-sustaining our entire Ecosystem is.
THE RISE & RISE OF NATURE TECH
With the excitement around Nature-Based Solutions increasing, new ideas are emerging in these four areas: Technology, Consumer Products, Project Management, and Commercial Forestry.
Some innovative startups focusing on Reforestation using drone technology include Flash Forests, Dendra Systems, Terraformation, and Drone Seed.
Even venture capitalists and corporates are backing dozens of carbon trading platforms that are focusing on forest carbon, a market that is expected to increase with Reforestation and other restoration efforts. Notable startups in carbon trading are Natural Capital Exchange, and Puro. Earth, and Air Carbon Exchange.
Cultivo is a fintech startup that aims to unlock $1B in investment over the next 5 years, in at least 3.5 million hectares of restoration projects, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, and regenerative agriculture through high-quality carbon credits.
This energy and excitement are only set to increase in the coming years as more visionary founders, investors, and global leaders start realizing the importance and immense potential of Nature-Based Solutions to reduce global temperatures.
Not just Nature Tech, but organizations like Earthworm Foundation that are working hands-on with communities and applying local solutions are helping large corporations future-proof their supply chains by improving ecological resilience.
A COMPLETE WIN-WIN FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
If you’re not awestruck still, let me just surmise by saying that Nature-Based Solutions are the coolest options (no pun) available to us right now! They’re highly impactful because they create buffer zones that protect ecological habitats. This, in turn, protects human health from climatic conditions like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods. Also, increasing natural barriers and protecting wildlife reduces wildlife-human conflict and lowers the risk of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
Nature-based solutions have the potential to mitigate up to 1/3rd of global emissions. Restoration and protection of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and peatlands can remove 13 - 15.5 GtCO2e emissions annually, according to Project Drawdown. Destroying Wetlands and Peatlands for development means releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere than necessary, which will make it even more cumbersome for us to reach our climate goals.
Only pumping big money into Clean Tech (clean energy, EV, solar) won't save us.
Putting Nature front and center of our investment and business decisions might.
