Natural Climate Solutions

NBS focused on climate change called - Natural Climate Solutions (NCS)

History - Griscom et al 2017 1st used this term in influential paper. Argue NCS provide over 1/3 of cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize warming to below 2 degrees

Organised into - 

1. Maximum with safeguard = possible

2. In time to meet 2 degree target

3. Low-cost

4. Co-benefits

Avoiding deforestation is the cheapest NCS - Protected Areas often a mechanism for this. But do PAs work? - generally YES but depends on location

Additioanlity = additional benefit of protected area beyong what would be happening naturally. Looking at baseline - do the protection add anything?

REDD+ schemes = Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

- A type of Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) scheme that aims to compensate communtiies for the 'opportunity cost' of potential lost income by NOT cutting down forests

- But does not work as well as claimed - 40 REDD+ schemes compared, decreases in deforestation in 34, but increases in 6. Baseline matters

Market of NCS where you 'offset' carbon you produce by paying for an NCS that takes up the carbon - critical for government goal of 'Net Zero'

Lots of carbon offsetting focused on avoided defroestation - but investigations suggest additionality of some providers of carbon offsetting is minial

Bonn Challenge - launched by IUCN and German government in 2011

- Bring 150 million ha of degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2020

Trillion Trees Initative - joing by BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and WWF

- Aim to stop deforestation and restore forests

Estimates show could increase tree cover by 25% globally - equating to uptake of 205 GtC (ecluding agricultural and urban land). But Boreal areas also not appropriate due to albedo effects, and criticism say estiamtes assume zero soil carbon prior to tree planting

= make point exaggeration of NBS is dangerous 

Emphasize natural regeneration is highly preferable to tree planting

1. Protect existing forest first

2. Work together

3. Aim to maximise biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals

4. Select appropriate areas for reforestation

5. Use natural regeneration where possible 

OR 6. Plant species to maximise biodiversity

AND 7. Use resilient plant material

8. Plan ahead for infrastructure

9. Learn by doing

10. Make it pay