Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time. It often receives so much attention that other, equally serious issues are overshadowed. Examples include biodiversity loss, lack of clean water and growing poverty. But according to the IPBES Nexus Assessment climate change and biodiversity loss are closely linked and reinforce each other's effects. Together, they pose a serious threat to human health and well-being. Therefore, we cannot tackle climate change in isolation. We need to look at the big picture - the interplay between climate, nature and society.

Planetary boundaries

Planetary boundary science clearly shows how the combination of natural depletion and global warming above 2°C risks having dramatic consequences, with up to up to twenty-fold greater economic losses by 2050 caused by more and more extreme weather events.

According to World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report the biggest risks facing the world are environment-related. By 2035, the top four risks are expected to be extreme weather events, critical changes to the Earth's systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, and natural resource scarcity.

Biodiversity is crucial

Preserving and restoring nature is therefore not just an environmental issue - it is essential for our health, prosperity and future. Forests store carbon, regulate the Earth's water cycle, provide food and create jobs. The soils beneath our feet are even more powerful - they store around three times as much carbon as the forests above, and their mycorrhizal networks (the underground symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots) act as the invisible infrastructure of life, exchanging nutrients and sustaining ecosystems. Soil biodiversity may be invisible, but it is crucial for our food systems and all life on land.

Limiting climate change is necessary, as is starting to adapt our societies to its inevitable effects. But climate action alone is not enough. If we do not halt biodiversity loss, we risk food systems collapsing, soils becoming depleted and access to clean water increasingly insecure. Communities will be forced to relocate, and the production of everything from food to clothing will be affected.

Nature-based climate solutions

However, there are solutions. High-quality nature-based projects are about much more than sequestering carbon. They create the conditions for all life to thrive - people, animals and ecosystems. By seeing climate, nature and society as part of the same system, we can build a future where both the planet and humanity thrive.

If we fail to think holistically, change will come anyway - but it will be rapid, chaotic and painful for millions of people. By investing in nature, we can instead create security, prosperity and a vibrant planet for future generations.

Want to invest in nature-based climate solutions? Contact a member of our team and we will help you further.