Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) present a major opportunity to grow Canada’s economy, while helping to reach climate targets and boost biodiversity. All the conditions are in place for NCS to flourish in Canada: record levels of public investments in nature, Indigenous leadership, support from Canadians, the potential to build strong business cases and investment-ready hotspots alongside strong emissions reductions and a host of environmental, social and cultural benefits. Increasing investments in NCS will continue to strengthen these outcomes and build a resilient, inclusive and competitive economy that works for people and the planet.
By better protecting, managing and restoring nature, NCS are one of our best ways to immediately reduce emissions effectively, inclusively and competitively. These solutions include a variety of landscape-specific actions that can reduce or avoid emissions, such as protecting wetlands at risk of conversion, better managing agricultural lands and restoring forests. Natural Climate Solutions are essential alongside other actions to achieve net zero, such as reducing emissions from fossil fuel use. As a complement to reducing fossil fuel use overall, NCS represent 33% of all potential emissions reductions and can help achieve Canada’s 2030 climate targets. A landmark study estimated the mitigation potential of investing in NCS in Canada at 78 megatonnes of CO2e annually, the equivalent of approximately 11% reduction in annual emissions in 2021 . Natural Climate Solutions offer these substantial emissions reductions at a comparatively low cost to their technological counterparts, and they are readily scaled and available now.
Beyond extensive environmental benefits, NCS provide numerous benefits to people. It is well-established that they enhance Canadians’ well-being, from cleaner water to flood protection, from healthy air to recreation in nature, and from employment and food security to cultural and spiritual significance. Natural Climate Solutions are locally led and regionally specific, which helps ensure that Indigenous, as well as rural and remote communities, are leaders and beneficiaries when it comes to these solutions. Looking at the big picture of vast emissions reductions, boosted biodiversity and a full suite of socio-economic benefits for people, NCS have a clear competitive edge.
Read our new report, released in partnership with Nature United.
