COP29: Act now with Green New Deals and nature-based solutions

The climate and biodiversity crises, are overwhelmingly large issues to solve and decades of delayed action is only exasperating this. Is there now too much to do in too little time? With negotiations at COP29 rolling on, Rick Stafford , Chair of our Policy Committee explains why acting now and taking the right actions can still mitigate the worst of these global crises.

There’s no doubt that time is running out to tackle the climate crisis, and other associated environmental issues like the biodiversity crisis. However, while we are seeing devastating effects of climate change (e.g. the recent floods in Spain), acting now will prevent things getting worse, and we may be able to reverse some of the damage, if we act quickly, and don’t pass system tipping points.

Our research has shown two theoretically simple measures to achieve real change: Green New Deals (GND) and broad scale adoption of nature-based solutions (NbS).

Green New Deals

Comprehensive GND strategies are those that involve actions like increasing renewable energy and improved home insulation. But in themselves, these are not sufficient measures to tackle climate change.

We also need to change the economic model focused on economic growth, and by default, use of natural resources. Ending fossil fuel subsidies and creating a strong carbon tax can help achieve this.

Carbon taxes need to be fair, and likely need to be countered with subsidies on other products (for example, taxing meat, but subsidising low carbon vegetables), but if done correctly, comprehensive GND strategies can have a big, and positive, impact on the environment, and help with social issues in society, such as inequality.

Nature-based solutions

The second measure is a wide scale adoption of what can broadly be defined as nature-based solutions. The most common approach to this is tree planting, which definitely has a place.

However, our British Ecological Society report from 2021 demonstrates the breadth of possible nature-based solutions (which can be used to help sequester carbon, and adapt to climate change. For example, peatlands in the UK currently are in poor condition, and rather than sequester carbon, they actually contribute about 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions.

Rewetting and restoring peatlands therefore equates to a relatively simple way to eliminate 5% of carbon emissions. We have estimated that restoring and creating habitats to act as climate NbS could capture around 30% of global emissions.

The best NbS not only tackle carbon emissions but also benefit people and nature, in fact,? encouraging landscapes with high biodiversity often results in higher levels of carbon sequestration.

Time to reduce and capture

It is important to realise that these two methods largely work synergistically – one acting on production of greenhouse gasses, the other on sequestration of greenhouse gasses. For example, halving global emissions would mean that NbS could capture 60% of global emissions. Successful climate action involves both emissions reduction and capture.

While more research and evidence is certainly useful, we do have the knowledge to be able to implement effective greenhouse gas reduction and capture measures, and at the same time create a better environment, and better livelihoods.