NEWS
Study : How nature can fight climate change — and how it can ' t
Mary Kate McCoy
Current Address : Conservation International Reprinted From : The Conversation
N ot long ago , the idea that nature
could be humanity ’ s ally against climate change was not widely known , to say the least .
Research has shown that nature is already “ mopping up ” about half of human-caused greenhouse-gas emissions every year , despite our impacts on ecosystems . And there ’ s more : If we protect and restore ecosystems , nature can reverse climate change — providing more than a third of the global action needed to avoid a climate crisis , according to a landmark 2017 study .
Since that study was released , “ natural climate solutions ” have increasingly moved into the mainstream . Many governments and businesses are now including nature in their climate commitments , and the wider world is taking notice : Between 2019 and 2021 , media stories mentioning natural climate solutions grew a staggering 263 percent .
“ Perhaps unsurprisingly , this rise in recognition has been accompanied by some confusion about what natural climate solutions are and how they work ,” said Conservation International climate scientist Bronson Griscom , who led the 2017 study . “ We felt it was important to unpack that .”
Griscom sat down with Conservation News to explain what natural climate solutions are ( measurable , restorative ) and what they aren ’ t ( greenwashing ).
Conservation News : Why was it important to develop a shared understanding of what natural climate solutions are ?
Bronson Griscom : This idea that nature and climate are intertwined — and if we don ’ t protect and restore nature , we won ’ t save the climate — is catching on . For example , it ’ s reflected in new global commitments , like the agreement adopted at the U . N . by roughly 190 countries to protect 30 percent of the Earth ’ s land and seas by 2030 . That ’ s very encouraging . It means we ’ re entering a new phase — transitioning from concepts to action , rolling up our sleeves and getting into the nitty gritty of what has to happen to avert a climate disaster .
At the same time , we ’ ve noticed there are misconceptions about what natural climate solutions actually are — which is a barrier to fully realizing their potential . So , we published a new paper to clarify what makes for an effective natural climate solution .
You mentioned misconceptions — like what ?
BG : Carbon credits — which are just one way of delivering natural climate solutions — have at times been criticized as greenwashing . Some have said they ’ re a cover for bad actors to continue business as usual — say by planting trees where they would have been planted anyway . Let me be clear . That is exactly what they are not . True natural climate solutions are backed by science and support meaningful and lasting reductions in carbon pollution , either through avoided emissions or improved carbon sequestration .
A recent report looked into how companies are confronting climate change in their operations . It found that companies that buy carbon credits — some of which pay for the protection of forests that remove carbon from the atmosphere — are doing more to reduce their own climate footprints than companies that don ’ t . They ’ re outperforming their competitors in addressing climate change in their supply and value chains .
So , what principles did you come up with ?
BG : We came up with five key principles that should be part of any effective natural climate solution , no matter where it is implemented or by whom . In summary , natural climate solutions must do the following :
• Preserve an ecosystem and / or make progress toward returning it to its natural state . For example , some foresters are both protecting their forests from conversion while also transforming their logging and forest management practices to restore their forests from previous degradation .
• Sustain and improve the resilience of rural economies and biodiversity in the face of a changing climate . For example , planting nonnative trees in the African savanna is not a natural climate solution . Why ? Those trees capture carbon , but they are more fire prone and would destroy the high biodiversity of the savanna . In contrast , restoration of native trees in places they have been cleared is a natural climate solution .
• Represent a change in businessas-usual land stewardship practices . In other words , natural climate solutions must be the result of changes in human behavior
25 Grassroots Vol 24 No 1 March 2024