Good piece ... I enjoyed it Jono! I don't think it can be emphasized enough that (1) local communities play a critical role in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises by serving both as knowledge holders and critical supporters of the implementation of nature-based solutions, and (2) honest and effective knowledge brokers to guide and inform action are paramount to the entire process. Keep up the great work with Predirections!
Thanks very much, Julian! Couldn't agree more with both of your points. I have a post lined up somewhere in the queue about the importance of local communities. I'll do my best. Thanks for diving in!
This is a great article and got me thinking about nature based solutions in urban areas. With all the new housing development in my area I'm just seeing lines and lines of fences with houses behind them and no trees on the berms. Councils and central govt should have Nbs in mind at the beginning of these developments. The same applies to growing cities. Nbs could be in the form of more soft spongy surfaces instead of miles of concrete everywhere, especially those cities close to waterways as those soft spongy surfaces would absorb some of the excess water. It doesn't solve climate change flooding events but it certainly would help minimise some of the effects. If local councils initiated some Nbs and involved community groups (say gardening clubs etc) it would connect people to becoming more aware of how these Nbs can improve their own lives as well as helping reduce climate change.
Yep. Unfortunately another example of short-term thinking, Kim! It's cheaper and easier now to clear everything and build featureless suburbs w/o any nature. There are good examples, but there are plenty of bad examples too. Slow creep is also a problem. Removing one tree here and there doesn't seem so bad but when you think about this over time and the fact they take 50 years to get to a decent size, it's not a good situation.
This was among the first stories I read on Substack when I joined a month ago and realized I was among like-minded people. Thanks for the reminder to "like."
Nature-based solutions might also be characterized as regenerative options because they allow the biosphere to regenerate itself, and allow the regenerated biosphere to reverse the planet's ecological crises as a whole (including the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis)
Community nature-based solutions can also be the key to increasing everyone's knowledge and connection to their own environment, including local native plants and habitat. It moves concern for the environment from "over there" to all around us and part of our daily lives.
NbS “should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity.”
No! I should be restored to that pre-colonial. You can have a chat room to the best of our knowledge and ability. That, and only that will ensure species biodiversity.
Everything you listed, save one is absolutely true, considering the ecosystem. We need to restore it on a bio regional eco-habitat level. That said, it is a statistically insignificant thing concerning any climate crisis mitigation.
If we do remove our collective heads from our collective asses, if nothing else, restoring native habitat, saves us from starting again at algae.
The caveat is to have true professionals with a broad understanding of deep ecology, planet and equal professionalism in it’s execution.
Depending on the species, it takes 20,000,000,000 trees, 10 to 30 years old to equate one years worth of the United States, CO2 and methane emissions.
There’s only one way to save complex lessons on this rock.
Sequester carbon directly from the atmosphere, forming into a valuable solid incentivize it with little or no government interference. We must remove at least 2.5 of them over 3.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide and methane equivalent to stop the permafrost from melting. That is the tipping point. It has been tipped.
More people need to know come right out and say this beer especially the absolute prerequisite.
I’m taking $10 side bets on our year 2100 look like.
Good piece ... I enjoyed it Jono! I don't think it can be emphasized enough that (1) local communities play a critical role in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises by serving both as knowledge holders and critical supporters of the implementation of nature-based solutions, and (2) honest and effective knowledge brokers to guide and inform action are paramount to the entire process. Keep up the great work with Predirections!
Thanks very much, Julian! Couldn't agree more with both of your points. I have a post lined up somewhere in the queue about the importance of local communities. I'll do my best. Thanks for diving in!
This is a great article and got me thinking about nature based solutions in urban areas. With all the new housing development in my area I'm just seeing lines and lines of fences with houses behind them and no trees on the berms. Councils and central govt should have Nbs in mind at the beginning of these developments. The same applies to growing cities. Nbs could be in the form of more soft spongy surfaces instead of miles of concrete everywhere, especially those cities close to waterways as those soft spongy surfaces would absorb some of the excess water. It doesn't solve climate change flooding events but it certainly would help minimise some of the effects. If local councils initiated some Nbs and involved community groups (say gardening clubs etc) it would connect people to becoming more aware of how these Nbs can improve their own lives as well as helping reduce climate change.
Yep. Unfortunately another example of short-term thinking, Kim! It's cheaper and easier now to clear everything and build featureless suburbs w/o any nature. There are good examples, but there are plenty of bad examples too. Slow creep is also a problem. Removing one tree here and there doesn't seem so bad but when you think about this over time and the fact they take 50 years to get to a decent size, it's not a good situation.
This was among the first stories I read on Substack when I joined a month ago and realized I was among like-minded people. Thanks for the reminder to "like."
: )
Awesome! Thanks for liking! :)
Nature-based solutions might also be characterized as regenerative options because they allow the biosphere to regenerate itself, and allow the regenerated biosphere to reverse the planet's ecological crises as a whole (including the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis)
Very true, Erik!
Community nature-based solutions can also be the key to increasing everyone's knowledge and connection to their own environment, including local native plants and habitat. It moves concern for the environment from "over there" to all around us and part of our daily lives.
Absolutely, Gayle! Society is too disconnected from nature these days. That's a critical part of the problem.
Very informative! Thank you for sharing this 🙌🏼
Thanks very much, Amaranta!
NbS “should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity.”
No! I should be restored to that pre-colonial. You can have a chat room to the best of our knowledge and ability. That, and only that will ensure species biodiversity.
Venus, or Mars?
Everything you listed, save one is absolutely true, considering the ecosystem. We need to restore it on a bio regional eco-habitat level. That said, it is a statistically insignificant thing concerning any climate crisis mitigation.
If we do remove our collective heads from our collective asses, if nothing else, restoring native habitat, saves us from starting again at algae.
The caveat is to have true professionals with a broad understanding of deep ecology, planet and equal professionalism in it’s execution.
Depending on the species, it takes 20,000,000,000 trees, 10 to 30 years old to equate one years worth of the United States, CO2 and methane emissions.
There’s only one way to save complex lessons on this rock.
The prerequisite is two fold.
Stop,stop, STOP extracting fossil fuels. Freaking yesterday.
Sequester carbon directly from the atmosphere, forming into a valuable solid incentivize it with little or no government interference. We must remove at least 2.5 of them over 3.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide and methane equivalent to stop the permafrost from melting. That is the tipping point. It has been tipped.
More people need to know come right out and say this beer especially the absolute prerequisite.
I’m taking $10 side bets on our year 2100 look like.
Everything contributed IMO.