HOW nature-based solutions can address climate emergencies?
By Adeyemi Adekunle
Abuja,Nigeria.
Between the month of JUNE-AUGUST 2023 climate emergencies have become dire and the Sea level churning out is high rising strength, coupled with the risk of erosion, and flooding, which has displaced huge numbers of people and their livelihoods.
As climate emergencies become more terrifying than ever before, intensifying the need to address it, it’s taking the center of every discussions among the leaders and citizens, steps to mitigate the rising risks that are bringing rapid environmental change, which is also making wildlife adaption and their environments death traps, too difficult to cuddle.
To mitigate various climate emergencies which are re-occurring, nature has proffered itself solutions, that is thus(Nature) has a crucial role to play in addressing climate emergencies. Nature-Based Solutions—are natural moves that are physical help available to help achieve societal goals, while they can contribute to minimizing climate emergencies and their effects. The Paris Agreement has shown that naturebased solutions and the broader land sector could contribute up to 30% of the climate mitigation needed for global warming.
Nature-Based Solutions?
Nature-based solutions are actions, policies, regulations, and rules that make the power of nature to address most pressing challenges our society,like threats to water security, rise in daily disasters, deforestation and wildlife altercation.
These solutions are keys which involve protecting, restoring, and sustainable management of our ecosystems in ways that will harness their resilience and capacity to solve our major societal challenges and safeguard biodiversity, a determinant of people’s welfare.
Mangrove forests existence along coastlines and water tributaries are not only crucial and of great values for sustaining fisheries and other animal species living in but also thus serve as protective natural barriers and apparatus against erosion and strong storms.It allows filtering of water, provides the availability of timber and food resources to coastal communities, and the ability for storage great quantity of carbon.
In preserving and regenerating ecosystems it does not only guarantee benefits for people in coastal areas, it also curb their vulnerabilities and increasing their resilience against the effects of climate emergencies.
How can climate Emergencies be address ?
Rebuilding and Maintenance of oyster reefs:
Oyster reefs are crucial components of global ocean health, that protects coastlines from wave erosion and storm damage. These serve as animals filter and clean the surrounding water, provide habitats, food, and jobs.Overfishing, habitat destruction and diseases, are the major sabotage, that can make reefs disappear and make the benefits go away. At Orimedu in Lagos Nigeria, fishermen have worked ceaselessly in ensuring that oyster reefs are properly conserve to serve as barriers to storms and tides, preventing flood and protecting productive estuary waters.They improve water quality as they filter feed and provide nursery habitat for economically valuable species.
Protecting and restoring coral reefs:
Healthy coral reefs put wave energy to check, giving specific protection for coastlines communities and shorelines against flooding, storm surges, and erosion. As rising seas and more intense storms push tides higher and farther to inland, is increasing flood risks for millions of people and threatening local economies, protecting and restoring coral reefs will not only be a smarter move but more potentially cheaper— approach.
Conservation of Forest:
Forests as home to over 70% of world’s terrestrial biodiversity, provide clean breeze, water, coupled with the protection it brings against erosion and landslides, help to regulate the removal of carbon from the atmosphere.While in a similar way primary forests, like the Amazon, react as a significant carbon sinks, sequestering huge amounts of carbon in tree biomass and soils. Preventing deforestation and degradation, which contribute around 13% of global CO2 emissions, could significantly reduce carbon emissions while staving off the worst impacts of global warming
Building green revolution cities
The construction of urban development to replace forests and wetlands turning into cities and metropolis with skyscrapers and shopping malls. When it rains heavily,water that doesn’t get absorbed can cause severe flooding. That runoff then washes into streams, lakes, or rivers, where it can increase sediments, pollute drinking water, or harm wildlife. Nature-based solutions such as green roofs, rain gardens, or constructed wetlands can minimize damaging runoff by absorbing excess water, reducing flood risks and safeguarding freshwater ecosystems.This process will keep cities cooler during the summer, support birds and other pollinators, and promote people’s mental and physical health.
Legislation against Illegal Mining:
Mitigating climate emergencies require each leaders in their respective countries to enact laws that punish illegal miners regardless the class and personalities of the culprits.Instead of making or promoting illegal drilling of natural resources there are sustainable,there are variety of technologies and techniques — both in-use and in development — that the mining sector can access to reduce its environmental impact.
Advanced land rehabilitation method, in-conjunction with low-impact mining methods and recycling mine waste, has the capability of cutting back on the impact that mining operations have on their immediate environment. Mining industries can also use new equipment powered by electric engines to reduce their carbon footprint and become more eco-friendly.
Water management
Creating green spaces and water bodies within cities, or conserving existing ones, can increase water availability through increased filtrating, evaporate-transpiration and storage and can increase water quality by removing harmful chemicals.Nature-based solution in water management can mitigate climate emergencies by being use to increase the efficiency and circularity of water systems, bringing down water production costs
Food security
Agriculture which is one of the major main-stain of African countries, with the introduction of nature-based solution can simultaneously protect nature and increase productivity through innovations in agricultural ecology and intensification.Reducing man-made inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, through the improvement on the delivery of natural ones like natural pest control, pollination, water quality regulation and enhanced soil fertility will go along way in putting climate emergencies to check.
