Nature-Based Solutions as a Catalyst for Achieving Mutual Benefits for People, Nature, and Climate: Lessons learned from China and globally

Nature-based solutions (NbS) can potentially provide up to 37% of cost-effective global CO₂ mitigation targets by 2030, while limiting global warming to 1.5C can lower biodiversity loss by 50%. According to the World Economic Forum’s New Nature Economy Report, NbS could unlock an estimated USD 10 trillion of business opportunities and have the ability to create 395 million jobs in 2030, beyond providing important biodiversity, climate mitigation, and adaptation outcomes. NbS also provide important social and health benefits, employment opportunities, and poverty alleviation that make valuable contributions to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With this in mind, NbS are promoted as the best way to achieve human well-being, tackle climate change, and protect our living planet. The increasing political recognition of climate change and biodiversity crises and the need to protect and enhance nature’s multiple benefits has never seemed more urgent.

Despite many pilot projects, NbS are still underutilized for meeting specific climate, biodiversity, and infrastructure needs. One critical gap is a lack of evidence demonstrating that NbS solutions provide tangible, measurable outcomes that contribute to meeting climate, biodiversity, and other national and international needs and targets. This lack of evidence prevents the adoption of NbS projects, financing for NbS, and broad recognition that NbS are a cost-effective means of meeting climate, biodiversity, and related socio-economic needs.

Co-hosted by IISD and the China Council for International Cooperation On Environment and Development (CCICED), this high-level virtual event fostered discussion of the evidence of nature-based solutions for biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and adaptation outcomes. Featured speakers will share their experience on the application of NbS to provide long-term social, ecological, and economic benefits. In particular, the event highlighted leading Chinese practices (e.g., Turning cities into sponges; the Loess Plateau; Ecological Conservation Red Line) as well as Europe’s NbS work under the Horizon 2020 Program and the new European Green Deal.

In addition, the event featured an expert discussion on assessing the impact and results of NbS, their added value, and policy relevance. Panelists also shared research results and key lessons learned from the resulting evidence base and how NbS can support policy implementation. The outcome of the event was a practical understanding of the multiple advantages of NbS, including climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as ecological, social, and economic benefits.

Objectives

• Promote NbS as a practical means to achieve benefits for climate, biodiversity, and well-being.
• Highlight specific social and economic benefits from NbS, including how to assess the impacts of NbS and key lessons emerging from the resulting evidence base
• Share and identify actions and opportunities to strengthen strategies and advance the uptake and implementation of NbS.

See below the webinar's full recording and the slides of the presentations given during the event:

Webinar's full recording

Nature-Based Solutions as a Catalyst for Achieving Mutual Benefits for People, Nature, and Climate: Lessons learned from China and globally

Nature-based Solutions – Integrated solutions for climate, biodiversity and societal benefits | Aloke Barnwal, Global Environment Facility

Nature-based Solutions: the European approach | Sofie Vandewoestijne, European Commission DG Research and Innovation

Valuation of nature-based infrastructure | Andrea Bassi, IISD

Biodiversity loss and nature-based solutions: a view from re/insurance | Oliver Schelske, Swiss Re Institute

Accelerating Climate Initiatives: Building the business case for Nature-based Solutions | Rachel Terry, Van Oord