Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to the fight against climate change up to the end of our century, according to new Oxford research in the leading scientific journal Nature. The analysis suggests that, to limit global temperature rise, we must slash emissions and increase NbS investment to protect, manage and restore ecosystems and land for the future.
The Oxford team found NbS measures, including the protection and large-scale restoration of eco-systems and improved land management, could cut peak global warming by between 0.1°C for a 1.5°C peak warming target, to 0.3°C for a 2.0°C peak warming target.
This would be achieved by removing as much as 10 gigatons of CO2 per year from 2025 onwards - more than the global transportation sector’s annual emissions, at a cost of less than US$100 per tonne of CO2.
Crucially, NbS could continue to cool the planet long after a peak temperature is reached. In the researchers’ best-case scenario, NbS can reduce global warming by a significant 0.1°C by 2055, and 0.4°C by 2100. But, it is estimated, only a tiny fraction of existing climate-mitigation financing is currently given to nature-based solutions.
Read more at University of Oxford
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