NbS Guidelines highlighted in House of Lords S&T committee letter to COP26 President
Saturday 16 Oct 2021
The House of Lords Science and Technological Committee, chaired by Lord Patel, has written to RH Alok Sharma in his capacity as President for COP26 to highlight the role that nature-based solutions could play in the negotiations, as part of their ongoing inquiry into nature-based solutions. The letter emphasised the importance of adhering to the following guidelines:
- Nature-based solutions are not a substitute for rapid decarbonisation of all sectors of the economy.
- Nature-based solutions should involve a wide range of ecosystems on land and in the sea, not just tree-planting.
- Nature-based solutions should be designed and implemented in partnership with local communities and stakeholders.
- Protection of existing ecosystems should be emphasised.
- Resilience must be a key factor in design and implementation.
- Any carbon benefits that are claimed must be rigorous in their accounting.
- Substantial financing and expertise should be provided by wealthy nations to poorer nations.
The first four of these are based on the NbS Guidelines (www.nbsguidelines.info), the scientific basis of which we published in our paper Getting the message right about nature-based solutions to climate change.
To read the full letter to Alok Sharma, click here.
