Nature-based solutions key in combating climate change

The Chinese National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035 team and the Committee on Climate Policy and Carbon Regulation of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs have praised the importance of nature-based solutions in addressing climate change challenges.

During the Russian Science Day hosted by the Russian pavilion at the COP29 in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on Tuesday, experts said nature-based solutions provide active international exchange of experience from projects, allowing faster movement toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 for Russia and China's National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035.

In a statement on Wednesday, China's National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035 team said nature-based solutions are seldom applied and usually get less support than renewable energy programs.

Additionally, they face the challenges in developing reliable calculation methods for ecosystem benefits and that often only easily quantifiable actions are prioritized.

The team said international and national support should be maintained for mitigation projects involving greenhouse gases, the improvement of measurement methodologies, and pilot sites as key devices for ecosystem-based solutions.

"International or BRICS-specific carbon markets could further enhance such efforts," the team said.

China has been at the forefront of using nature-based solution to improve climate resilience, China's National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035 said in a statement on Wednesday.

A flagship example is the three-northern shelter forest program, set in motion in 1978 that tackles desertification by increasing forest cover in northern China. This "Great Green Wall" is expected to cover a region of 26 percent by 2035 and serves to show China's commitment to nature-based solution.

China has also integrated the concept of a "sponge city" into urban areas to handle storm water and heat. Cities such as Shanghai deploy permeable surfaces, green roofs, and urban wetlands to create resilient urban areas while paying their dues to natural hydrological cycles.

The team said China planted about 338,000 square kilometers of forest from 2013 to 2018 and aspired to 30 percent forest cover by 2050.

"Each one of these has been part of nature-based solutions integration within the Chinese National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035 for enhanced ecological conservation and resilience," the statement read.

Speaking at the Science Day event, Sergey Tverdokhleb, the deputy chairman of the Russian Committee, said developing carbon testing sites within Russia will enable the country to develop and test technologies for carbon balance management.

Experts said with huge ecosystem, Russia is strategically positioned to help make or break global climate goals.

They said Russian forests, grasslands, peatlands, and tundras have the potential to annually absorb millions of tons of CO₂.

"With strategic investment, policy support, and much-needed development, this could be increased further, and natural projects in Russia may come to offset up to 1,000 million tons of CO₂ per year, approximately equal to German yearly emissions," the statement said.