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Understand the role of nature in reaching global Net Zero

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Even with full implementation of conditional Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a 20 Gt CO2e gap remains. Nature will have a crucial role in closing this gap. For instance, Conservation International’s Exponential Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions highlights how natural climate solutions can help the world move from 12.5 Gt of emissions from land each year to net-zero emissions by 2030, with land acting as a 5 Gt sink by 2040 and a 10 Gt sink by 2050.

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) are nature-based solutions (NbS) that address climate change. NCS therefore are a subset of NbS, specifically focusing on one particular societal challenge: climate change. Nature-based solutions are: “…actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits.”

By generating biodiversity gains and benefits for people, NCS deliver climate mitigation outcomes. This combination has the potential to drive meaningful, widespread impact, as long as financing is sufficient, and projects and programs are executed correctly.