Sustainable Design and Climate Change: Are Nature-Based Solutions the way forward?

~by Sharon Gakinya ~

Climate change is an eminent issue in today’s dynamic environment. This is due to its long-term effects on weather and temperature which has a negative impact on the wider community. This impact presents itself in the form of increased flooding, heat waves, droughts, threats to wildlife habitats to mention a few. 

Due to the fact that human activities have been the main driver of climate change, we as sustainability professionals have a role to play in mitigating its effects. One way in which accountability for climate change is being taken is through legally binding initiatives such as the Paris Agreement. This agreement is an international treaty that sets to guide nations to limit global temperature increase to well below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit this increase to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. 

While temperature increase seems to be the main indicator of climate change, as highlighted earlier, it serves as part of the wider earth system where everything is connected and changes in one area can influence changes in others. Similarly, when it comes to measures taken in the fight against climate change, research suggests that we should not have carbon tunnel vision. In other words, we should not just focus on carbon on its own but look at other related factors that contribute towards climate change mitigation. One such factor is nature-based solutions.

Why nature-based solutions?

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are systemic solutions that are developed to respond to urban challenges like climate change by harnessing the power of nature while also contributing to biodiversity. Some examples of nature-based solutions include: protecting forests, improving degraded habitats, improving management of farmed land and integrating nature into urban areas. Within the built environment, nature-based solutions have been incorporated through methods such as ‘green corridors’, green walls/roofs and biomimicry. 

It is noted that nature-based solutions and the wider land sector could contribute up to 30% of the climate mitigation needed by 2050 to meet the Paris Agreement’s objective of limiting global warming. In addition to this, key highlights from COP28 show that governments were called on to address the linkage between climate and biodiversity when developing their future climate action plans. Similar sentiments are reiterated in the 4th principle in The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting. At an individual level, to the average person, the topic of nature is much more tangible to talk about in comparison to climate. In this sense, it means that people are more likely to be engaged as being part of a solution. It is apparent that nature-based solutions have an important role to play in climate change mitigation.

Challenges and limitations

Despite the significance and guidelines set in place to encourage its implementation, nature-based solutions are also characterized by some challenges. Firstly, contextual issues may arise where implementation of nature-based solutions can be detrimental to existing biodiversity. An example of this is the planting of non-native trees to offset carbon missions posing the risk of potential availability of water. In this case, the potential climate benefits do not outweigh the cost. In relation to this, there is also an existing over-emphasis on tree planting. This not only takes away from effectively protecting biodiversity and climate mitigation but also presents itself as a form of greenwashing.  Another challenge is the reputation of a lack of respect towards land tenure and existing customary rights of Indigenous peoples or local community. There is also a challenge of deciding what metrics to consider in nature assessment due to its complexity. This poses a challenge of managing nature-based solutions as you cannot manage what you cannot measure.

Conclusion

While nature-based solutions present significant benefits in efforts towards climate change mitigation, there are also some challenges related to them. In the same front, there are also efforts being made to curb these challenges. This includes adoption of frameworks to highlight how nature-based solutions can be implemented in different contexts as seen in companies such as Arup and Mott Macdonald. In addition to this, there are currently various reporting standards such as TNFD, Science Based Targets Network, EU CSRD, Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT), CDP and GRI that can be used in nature assessment. While most of these are currently voluntary, there is a high likelihood that they will become mandatory in the future. 

In conclusion, I believe that nature-based solutions should form part and parcel of the climate change mitigation conversation. However, for its implementation to prove effective, there is a need to consider the complexities of nature and how they can be harnessed to achieve positive outcomes.