In reducing climate change, natural-based climate solutions (NCS) play a vital role. There is however a lack of understanding in natural based climate solutions around social, political and biophysical contexts. These three contexts slow down the implementation of nature-based climate solutions.
About Nature-based climate solutions
The research by Maina and Asamoah estimates carbon sink potential to identify socioeconomic and ecological factors that may stimulate NCS implementation in developing economies. There were eight NCS that were identified, which were the following: peatland restoration, improved rice cultivation, avoided peatland impacts, optimal grazing intensity, the grazing of legumes, natural forest management, avoided coastal impacts and reforestation. Further, the concept of NCS is not understood fully in food insecurity hotspots which have the assistance when it comes to development. There will be poor implementation of NCS projects at a country level when it comes down to food insecurity and poor governance structures.
There are multiple benefits to people and nature with protecting, semi-natural, managing and restoring ecosystems. These multiple benefits come from an approach called NCS, which are cost effective, critical transitions for resilient and sustainable land-use systems to control climate change. Maina and Asamoah mention that “if properly implemented, NCS can contribute over 30% (by 2030) to carbon uptake globally,4,5 and could reduce the global peak temperature by 0.3C under a 2C warming trajectory by 2085 (or by 0.1C by 2055 under a 1.5C rise).7 Along with climate change mitigation, NCS offers benefits for biodiversity, human well-being, water purification and soil protection.”
Currently, NCS is garnering local and global attention to combat biodiversity loss and climate change. At local, national and global scales there have been recent studies that have drafted and identified opportunities with regard to NCS for restoring, forest protection and forest cover. Although the accrued benefits have been highlighted in NCS there is a lack of effectiveness in political, social and biophysical uptakes which is all a part of a systematic analysis. Financial constraints can also reduce the climate mitigation potential of NCS, for example, “in Southeast Asia by 55% (low estimate) to 17% (high estimate)”. Harnessing nature and reducing climate impacts can cause other environmental issues such as the exacerbation of food insecurity, land allocation issues which widens social inequities strained by wars and climate change. Keeping up to date with climate change mitigation and biodiversity measures requires local and global actions as well as institutional capacity, public participation and contingent on knowledge. In order to achieve carbon storage, flourishing biodiversity and forest cover, long-term measures are important, which includes the factors that promote NCS.
The research taken by Maina and Asamoah “aims to provide this understanding by testing for the association between contemporary socioeconomic factors and the potential carbon sink from management, restoration and protection efforts (hereafter NCS) across 126 nations with ‘developing economies’ status”. Further, there are positive and negative associations that are linked to NCS are governance readiness, threatened species, challenged soil conditions, development aid, population density, social adaptive readiness, food insecurity, economic readiness and protected areas.
Sustainable nature-based solutions have implications
The Paris Agreement goals of getting the global climate below 2 degrees celsius will require the adaptation of natural methods such as protected area, land management and restoration. Further the article mentions that “evolving global policy frameworks, including the CBD’s proposed post-2020 draft biodiversity framework, underscore the need to concurrently mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity and enhance human well-being.45 NCS provides a roadmap to sustainability and benefit-sharing at multiple spatial scales, which likely will strengthen the first three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3)—No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Good Health and Wellbeing—especially in developing nations.” Moreover, sustainable funding is an issue worldwide, “a lack of sufficient and sustainable funding and incentives is one of the main barriers to implementing and monitoring NCS worldwide.” The findings by Maina and Asamoah had shown different methods, “our findings indicate additional pathways for NCS allocation and design, elucidating the interplay of policies aimed at emission reduction and those targeting biodiversity conservation. For instance, it is essential to approach and prioritize regions for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus (REDD + targeting) under budget constraints”.
The studies conclusion
The study identified that ecological and socio economic correlates with the design and uptake of NCS. The NCS pathways include management, protection and restoration which enables decision making around land-use at national and local levels. In there being multiple interventions there are observed direct and indirect associations that will aid this process. Maina and Asamoah findings concluded that “our findings underpin NCS pathways as strategies to achieve numerous goals beyond climate mitigation, including biodiversity conservation, socioeconomic benefits, food security and ecosystem services”.
Source: CELL - iScience- Inpress
Journal Reference:
- Author links open overlay panelErnest F.Asamoah12PersonEnvelopeJoseph M.Maina1PersonEnvelope, F.Asamoah12PersonEnvelope, E., 1, 2, M.Maina1PersonEnvelope, J., Highlights•Harnessing nature’s potential can bolster climate mitigation efforts•Food insecurity and poor governance can constrain these benefits•Sustainable financing and food security safeguards can boost NCS adoption, & SummaryNature-based climate solutions (NCS) can play a crucial role in reducing climate change. There is. (2022, November 30). Nature-based climate solutions require a mix of socioeconomic and governance attributes. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004222019721
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