EC issues Science for Environment Policy Future Brief 24: The solution is in nature
The European Commission’s latest Future Brief collates key research on nature-based solutions, outlines the multiple social, economic and environmental benefits that they can deliver and describes how they can be scaled up within Europe.
Setting the scene: Nature Based Solutions
The science is clear: the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis and the health crisis are interdependent. Political leaders from across the world, representing 80+ countries and the European Union, have also recognised this connection in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature.1Climate change accelerates the destruction of the natural world through extreme weather events such as droughts, flooding and wildfires. Biodiversity loss and unsustainable use of nature, driven by intense anthropogenic activities, in turn, reduce resilience to and further drive climate change. But just as the crises are linked, so are the solutions (European Commission, 2020a)
Nature is a vital ally in the human struggle with climate change. Nature regulates the climate, and Nature-based Solutions are essential for addressing global challenges such as reducing carbon emissions. Planting trees and deploying green infrastructure will help to cool urban areas and mitigate the impact of natural disasters (European Commission Biodiversity Strategy 2030, 2020).
For full report please visit FUTURE BRIEF:The solution is in nature
