This article was originally published on Nature News & Views.
“As a climate solution, nature should be a no-brainer. Forests and other ecosystems store carbon, harbour biodiversity, regulate rainfall, sustain livelihoods, support water and food security, and buffer communities from climate change impacts. They are ubiquitous, self- replicating, and need little maintenance or technological development. And yet the adoption of natural climate solutions has been a bumpy road. Scientists debate the size of the terrestrial carbon sink. Development organizations fret about the potential for reforestation to take valuable croplands out of production. And proponents of climate action have feared solutions that could be perceived as excusing continued fossil fuel use.
As a climate solution, nature has seemed stubbornly resistant to widespread use. However, a new study may help change that. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, Bronson Griscom and colleagues quantify 20 distinct natural climate solutions that can store carbon and reduce emissions alongside energy transformations while safeguarding food security and biodiversity. They estimate these natural solutions could contribute 11.3 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (Gt CO2e) per year of climate mitigation, paving the way for a range of implementation actions and new research…”
Read on at: Nature News & Views.
