\n<\/p>\n
A clean energy transition is underway to curb planet-heating emissions, with investments in renewables, electric vehicles and energy efficiency expected to top $1.4 trillion<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n The shift \u2014 though unevenly distributed across countries \u2014 signals real progress. But there is another solution that receives far less attention, not to mention funding: Nature. We cannot stop a climate crisis without it.<\/p>\n Even if the world cut fossil fuel emissions immediately, humanity would fail to avert a disastrous climate scenario if we do not also reverse the destruction of forests, peatlands and other ecosystems that are powerful carbon sponges.<\/p>\n Today, scientists from Conservation International and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research<\/a> released the Exponential Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions<\/a>, a first-of-its-kind blueprint for maximizing nature\u2019s role in tackling \u201cClimate change is one of the biggest threats humanity has ever faced, and nature could be our greatest ally,\u201d said Bronson Griscom, who leads Conservation International\u2019s science on natural climate solutions. \u201cMaking the most To understand how nature can help avert climate breakdown \u2014 and what humanity must do next \u2014 Conservation News spoke with Griscom and fellow Conservation International scientists Michael Wolosin and Starry Sprenkle-Hyppolite, all of whom contributed Approximately 15 percent<\/a> of Earth\u2019s lands are protected \u2014 either as national parks, community conservation areas, Indigenous That\u2019s a good start, but the most immediate way to amplify natural climate solutions is by expanding protections in regions that hold vast stores of climate-warming carbon<\/a>, such as mangroves, marshlands and old-growth forests and that are at high risk of degradation, according to the new roadmap.<\/p>\n Strategies to protect these high-carbon ecosystems<\/a> include establishing a network of new national and regional protected areas, creating local and community parks, and improving management of existing protected areas by developing climate resilience plans.<\/p>\n FURTHER READING:<\/strong><\/p>\n Countries must advance trade laws to halt illegal deforestation and ban commodities produced on illegally deforested land. But protecting forests isn\u2019t just the job of governments.<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses \u2014 particularly in the agricultural sector \u2014 must reduce or eliminate deforestation in their supply chains,\u201d said Michael Wolosin, a lead researcher on the roadmap. \u201cThat means acting on no-deforestation commitments Fortunately, many companies are starting to realize that protecting nature is good business. Last year, more than 30 financial institutions<\/a> pledged to eliminate deforestation driven by agriculture from their portfolios and increase investments in nature-based solutions by 2025. Conservation International and other partners will support these financial institutions as they engage with \u201cWith trillions in assets, financial institutions can direct capital toward incentives that protect \u2014 rather than destroy \u2014 nature,\u201d Wolosin said. \u201cThey are critical to changing the way Earth\u2019s ecosystems are valued.\u201d<\/p>\n Each year, large swaths of tropical forests<\/a> are destroyed to make room for palm oil, cattle, soy and other commodities. Agricultural \u201cChanging the food we eat and how we grow it is critical to limiting global warming,\u201d said Sprenkle-Hyppolite. \u201cAnd everyone can play a role, from farmers to manufacturers to consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n The main culprit of food-fueled emissions is meat<\/a>. Globally, about a third of cropland<\/a> is used to grow To help address these issues, the report recommends a variety of \u201cclimate-smart\u201d techniques, including adding trees along the edges of croplands and pastures to provide carbon-storing benefits, practicing rotational grazing to minimize soil These practices are already seeing promising results in Africa, where Conservation International\u2019s Herding 4 Health program<\/a> is helping farmers across six countries Through the program, rural communities minimize overgrazing and remove invasive vegetation that hampers the growth of grass and availability of water. In return, they receive support to improve the health of their livestock and access livestock markets. \u201cThese solutions aren\u2019t reliant on hypothetical technologies,\u201d Sprenkle-Hyppolite said. \u201cIn most cases, it\u2019s about implementing centuries-old practices, many of which incorporate Indigenous knowledge to improve growing conditions, Other agricultural improvements outlined in the roadmap include cover-cropping and reduced tillage, which regulates soil moisture and temperature, limits nutrient runoff and improves soil fertility \u2014 while reducing a farm\u2019s carbon footprint.<\/p>\n Restoring degraded ecosystems could remove 400 gigatons of CO2<\/sub><\/a> \u2014 equivalent to emissions released by more than 86 million cars each year \u2014 \u201cStopping deforestation is critical but it won\u2019t be enough \u2014 we must also restore degraded lands and rewild damaged ecosystems so we can reap their carbon-storing benefits for decades to come,\u201d Griscom said.<\/p>\n Conservation International works with governments to develop policies that prioritize assisted natural regeneration, which is the most cost-effective restoration method for mitigating climate change. This approach allows trees to regrow by eliminating \u201cIt is a relatively low-cost approach to restoration that can be rapidly scaled by simply protecting areas in which forests are regenerating,\u201d Griscom said.<\/p>\n Along with farmers, some of the most effective partners for restoring nature are those who depend on it the most: Indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n Indigenous-managed lands<\/a> show less species decline and pollution, and more well-managed natural With support from Conservation International, the Xingu peoples helped plant seeds to yield more than 1.8 million trees<\/a> \u2014 with a range of positive impacts, from better water quality to increased agricultural production.<\/p>\n \u201cProtection is still a top priority, but it must be paired with other strategies,\u201d said Griscom. \u201cFor people in industrialized countries, that means healthier diets. For farmers and foresters that means adopting smarter practices, with
\nglobal warming. It finds that to avoid catastrophic climate change, the land sector \u2014 including agriculture and forestry \u2014 must reach net zero emissions by 2030, and it offers guidance to get there.<\/p>\n
\nof nature\u2019s potential to avert a climate crisis really boils down to three things: protecting, managing and restoring Earth\u2019s ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nto the roadmap.<\/p>\n1. Protect<\/h3>\n
\nland designations or other types of conservation methods.<\/p>\n
\nby transparently reporting deforestation and integrating no-deforestation objectives into their purchasing and trading decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ncompanies in shifting away from deforestation in their supply chains.<\/p>\n2. Manage<\/h3>\n
\nexpansion is the largest driver of deforestation<\/a>. When emissions from fertilizers
\nand farm animals are factored in, food systems emit more than a quarter<\/a> of all greenhouse gases from human activity.<\/p>\n
\nfood for animals rather than for people. Grazing cattle, for example, requires large tracts of land, which fuels deforestation. In addition, the cattle themselves produce massive amounts of methane, which is 80 times more potent<\/a> at warming than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.<\/p>\n
\nerosion, and seeding pastures with legumes to improve soil fertility and carbon absorption.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014 and more than 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of rangeland \u2014 implement climate-smart farming techniques to restore the nature that they depend on.<\/p>\n
\nCritically, the project prioritizes the needs of nature-dependent farmers who stand to lose the most if grasslands continue to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
\nsoil fertility and resilience to heat waves and drought.\u201d<\/p>\n3. Restore<\/h3>\n
\nby 2100.<\/p>\n
\nbarriers and threats from human activity.<\/p>\n
\nresources. For example, in Brazil\u2019s Amazon rainforest the Indigenous peoples of the Xingu region are restoring their forests by implementing a traditional farming technique called muvuca<\/a>. This involves sowing a large and varied mix of seeds that yield native plants, such as cashew and a\u00e7a\u00ed,
\nwhile restoring the soil.<\/p>\n
\nbetter financial support. And for Indigenous peoples, it means justice \u2014 more rights and resources. These efforts all have one thing in common: preparing for a warmer planet by transforming our relationship with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n