Society is facing the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Navigating each of these threats requires changing the way society interacts with natural ecosystems and the landscape.
Nature-based solutions or activities that generate multiple benefits for society and biodiversity through the protection, management and restoration of ecosystems are one way in which land can be managed to meet societies’ needs. But with less than a decade to limit global warming to below the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, the funding gap for nature-based solutions, estimated to be up to trillions of dollars by 2050, needs to be urgently bridged.
In the Sustainability Accelerator’s new paper, How forest bioeconomics can support nature-based solutions, the authors argue that integrating nature-based solutions into the forest sector can help overcome this funding gap by providing reliable cashflows and an investment pipeline of projects.
Many of the products that are part of a growing global bioeconomy – where supply chains utilize biologically derived materials as opposed to fossil fuels – will be derived from forests. Developments in a circular bioeconomy could help channel investments to create green jobs and supply chains, supported by the integration of new technologies.
But land supply is finite and growing demands in the bioeconomy could lead to a ‘land crunch’. Analysis is needed to understand what policies, investment and innovations can help lead the bioeconomy to deliver the best environmental and social outcomes.
In this webinar to accompany the release of this paper, a panel of experts will explore:
- How can environmental and social goods be supported through the bioeconomy?
- How can clusters of technologies help advance what is possible in the bioeconomy?
- What is the role of policy, investment and business in shaping the bioeconomies of the future?
