Climate Change Disaster Mitigation Needs Nature-Based Solutions

Jakarta – Over 11,000 disasters that occurred over the last 50 years are caused by weather, climate and water-related hazards, causing about 2 million deaths and an economic loss of USD 3.6 trillion. Losses caused by rising sea levels and storm surges reach USD 1 trillion every year. More than 600 million people or about 10 percent of the world’s population live in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level. People living in coastal areas face existential risks due to climate change. “About 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. They are on the front lines most affected by climate change,” said Dr Moushumi Chaudhury, Program Director for Community Resilience, The Nature Conservancy. This was conveyed in a global webinar entitled “Living Between Land and Sea: A Webinar for Journalists on Covering Coastal Resilience” held by Earth Journalism Network (EJN), Thursday (17/2). This webinar also presented two other presenters, Stefanie Tye (Climate Resilience Researcher from the World Resources Institute) and Joydeep Gupta (EJN India Manager). Chaudury said that intense storms, high tides and flooding exacerbated by climate change and rising sea levels threaten the lives, livelihoods and property of coastal communities. He described the integration of nature-based solutions into community resilience planning and implementing relevant risk reduction activities. Examples of these nature-based solutions include rehabilitating mangrove and coral reef ecosystems as buffer to the effects of strong winds and waves, or restoring coastal hydrology to support natural regeneration, which in turn increases resilience. “In addition to increasing climate resilience, coral reefs can reduce wave energy by up to 97 percent. Meanwhile, mangrove forests are able to prevent property damage of up to USD 5 billion and reduce the risk of flooding for 15 million people every year,” he added. Nature-based solutions are increasingly being recognized as effective multi-use solutions, to help vulnerable people become more resilient to climate change. Meanwhile, Stefanie Tye highlighted the impact of climate change will affect every element and every layer in the public sector, as well as the private sector. Climate threats to coastal areas will continue to be the center of attention “That’s why integrating, or mainstreaming adaptation at multiple levels, is key,” said Tye. (Hartatik)