First, the bad news. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently warned that the world is already locked into at least 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming before 2050. The climate crisis is inextricably linked to biodiversity loss, which the United Nations reports is occurring "at rates unprecedented in human history.” About 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, many within decades.

"Biodiversity loss and dangerous climate change potentiate each other in their disastrous consequences. It’s a vicious circle," Michael Norton, environment program director of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, said in a statement. "This summer’s rollercoaster of extreme temperatures, dryness, flash floods and wildfires has been bad, but probably far better than what we may see in the future."

Discussion of climate change mitigation has centered on timelines and temperature targets, such as 1.5C by 2040 or 2050. While that is vital, it misses the fact that the climate crisis and biodiversity loss are deeply interrelated. To effectively address these existential threats, we must do so in tandem. Nature-based solutions have the potential to do exactly that — and the good news is that innovation and action in this area is accelerating rapidly.

The United Nations declared 2021 through 2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, coinciding with the deadline to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the timeline scientists say is most crucial for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.

The U.N. Decade is an opportunity to advance nature-based solutions that promote sustainability and resilience in ways that reflect the science, economic drivers and political imperatives. Governments, civil society and companies all have a role to play.

There is tremendous untapped potential at the intersection of the natural and built environments. However, engineers and designers are often given narrow parameters with little room for innovation.

Read the full article about natural engineering solutions by Jennifer Brunton at GreenBiz.