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Climate change experts from the United Nations University (UNU) and the World Food Program (WFP) call for better integration of nature-based solutions into adaptation planning at COP26 in Glasgow.
Glasgow / Bonn / Rome, November 10, 2021 – Weather-related disasters have quintupled in the past 50 years alone. Humanity, and especially vulnerable communities, are only beginning to adapt to the new reality of extreme weather events. As the global community discusses different adaptation options at COP26 in Glasgow, the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the World Food Program (WFP) are calling for better integration of nature-based solutions into adaptation planning.
The recently launched UNU-EHS flagship report “Interconnected disaster risksâ€Illustrates the interconnectivity of disasters around the world, making it clear that interconnected solutions, such as nature-based solutions, deserve more attention. “The science is clear that nature-based solutions not only address climate change, they also reduce disaster risk, biodiversity loss and food insecurity in an integrated manner,” said Dr Jack O’Connor, senior scientist at UNU-EHS. For example, in Bangladesh, one of the countries most affected by cyclones in the world, many projects are underway to protect and restore coastal ecosystems, mainly mangrove forests. Ecosystems like mangrove forests not only enhance coastal protection against cyclones and sea level rise, but they also store atmospheric carbon and contribute to local livelihoods as they are home to fish, crabs and fish. clams.
Nature-based solutions are also proving their value in the humanitarian context. From 2014 to 2019, the World Food Program worked with vulnerable communities to rehabilitate 1.5 million hectares of degraded land and forests and establish 54,000 communal ponds, wells and reservoirs. “Nature itself is often the best way to protect both people and the planet. Rehabilitating ecosystems helps reduce the vulnerability of populations to climate shocks and stresses while protecting biodiversity and fostering social cohesion, â€said Gernot Laganda, WFP’s Head of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programs.
Although there is now a broad consensus that nature-based solutions should be factored into adaptation planning, their potential is still largely untapped. “Nature-based solutions efforts today are disproportionately focused on forest ecosystems and in particular on tree planting. The Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which was adopted at COP26 to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, is an example, â€said Dr Zita Sebesvari, Deputy Director of UNU-EHS. “Although the Declaration is a much appreciated step, we must go beyond forests and also consider, for example, grasslands, peat bogs, marshes and marine ecosystems, all of which draw on the rich diversity of ecosystems. for adaptation, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity. . “
While nature-based solutions win both in science and in the field, they can only develop their full potential if they are designed as integrated solutions and in combination with other safety nets – for example, climate risk insurance or forecast-based financing. In the long run, planting or protecting forests can only be an effective climate adaptation measure if it is complemented by actions that also relieve the environmental and social pressures that led to their destruction in the first place. Communities facing hunger and poverty may be forced to cut trees to clear land for agriculture or to generate income from timber. To be truly effective, an integrated resilience program would therefore combine nature-based solutions with social and financial protection programs.
Initiatives such as WFP’s Rural Resilience Initiative R4 take an integrated approach by combining landscape restoration with access to microinsurance and financial services, while UNU-EHS works with partners to develop and introduce climate risk insurance products for individuals and communities in the Caribbean and Pacific regions. These types of integrated approaches increase the chances of success of climate adaptation strategies by reducing vulnerability to the increasing impacts of climate change.
As world leaders at COP26 discuss ways to rebuild better after the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on stepping back from the brink of climate catastrophe, integrating nature-based solutions into the overall strategy of adaptation should be at the center of the discussion.
Contact
Janine Kandel
Head of communications
United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security
Mobile: + 49 151 2672 1390
[email protected]
Jane howard
Head of communications
Office of the World Food Program in the United Kingdom
Mobile, WhatsApp: +44 (0) 79 68008 474
[email protected]
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