Expert review of the science underlying nature-based climate solutions
Nature-based climate solutions support climate goals, with strong evidence for some (e.g., forest conservation). However, others—often tied to carbon markets—remain uncertain due to gaps in GHG measurement. Addressing these uncertainties is crucial before scaling, though such pathways may still offer biodiversity and food security benefits.
Subject Tags
- Climate mitigation
- Carbon markets
- Natural climate solutions
Abstract
Viable nature-based climate solutions (NbCS) are needed to achieve climate goals expressed in international agreements like the Paris Accord. Many NbCS pathways have strong scientific foundations and can deliver meaningful climate benefits but effective mitigation is undermined by pathways with less scientific certainty. Here we couple an extensive literature review with an expert elicitation on 43 pathways and find that at present the most used pathways, such as tropical forest conservation, have a solid scientific basis for mitigation. However, the experts suggested that some pathways, many with carbon credit eligibility and market activity, remain uncertain in terms of their climate mitigation efficacy. Sources of uncertainty include incomplete GHG measurement and accounting. We recommend focusing on resolving those uncertainties before broadly scaling implementation of those pathways in quantitative emission or sequestration mitigation plans. If appropriate, those pathways should be supported for their cobenefits, such as biodiversity and food security.
Citation
Buma, B., Gordon, D.R., Kleisner, K.M., Bartuska, A., Bidlack, A., DeFries, R., Ellis, P., Friedlingstein, P., Metzger, S., Morgan, G. and Novick, K., 2024. Expert review of the science underlying nature-based climate solutions. Nature Climate Change, 14(4), pp.402-406. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01960-0
TNC Authors
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Peter Ellis
Director of Global Natural Climate Solutions Science
The Nature Conservancy
Email: pellis@tnc.org