På jakt efter naturliga lösningar
Hur kan naturliga lösningar – som kolinlagring, gröna tak och agroforestry – hindra eller mildra effekterna av klimatförändringarna? Det var fokus under Building a Resilient Future i New York. Analisa Winther gästspanar på engelska från eventet.
The topic of the day: how to fortify our world against climate change. IPCC estimates that anywhere from 52 to 467 million people are at poverty risk depending on the outcomes of climate related disasters.Resilience looks at solutions to not only mitigate climate events like inhospitable temperatures and food scarcity. But also drawdown the carbon in our atmosphere. At the core are nature based solutions, which are also the main message of activist Greta Thunberg’s Nature Now campaign released last week.Nature based solutions are actions that work with and enhance natural habitats to help address societal challenges. Key examples:
Restoration of coastal ecosystems to protect communities from storm surges and erosion.
Agroforestry to stabilize crop yields in drier climates.
Forest restoration to regulate water supplies and protect against flooding and landslides.
These solutions are grounded in promoting biodiversity and can be low cost and low risk.When it comes to building resilient food systems, the conversation at the event focused on making a systemic shift. In many governments there are conflicting incentives. The Minister of Agriculture’s success is measured on crop yield while the Minister of Environment is charged with wildlife and land conservation. These pillars of government are interconnected but don’t sit together.
"Each local climate is unique in its terrain and politics."
Another systemic issue centered around the practice of leasing land to small holder farmers. Whether in NY State or in parts of Africa, a farmer might regenerate depleted land only to receive notice that the landlord will now lease it to a higher paying customer. This means the farmer never truly sees the fruits of their labors.At the end of the day, there is no one secret sauce to resilience. Each local climate is unique in its terrain and politics. To succeed, ideas must be locally adapted and driven by the people in their communities, ensuring their stewardship is the ultimate key to success.If you are interested in learning more, check out The CGIAR Research Program on transforming the food system under climate change here. And The Food and Land use Coalition's report on ten transitions that need to happen here.