Nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration for effective climate change adaptation and mitigation - The case of integrated water management
High-Level UNFCCC COP 29 Event, hosted by BMUV
Date and Time: 21.11.2024; 16.30–18.00 UTC+4
Venue: IGerman Pavilion & Online
Organizer: BMUV
Looking at the latest reports on the state of our climate and environment – the IPCC reports, the IPBES reports, the UNCCD global land outlook or the UN World Water Development Report – one thing gets clear: Human well-being is at risk if we do not manage to reverse current negative trends and adapt to the effects of climate change that are already underway. This is especially true with regard to the state of the world’s ecosystems.
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss affects ecosystems heavily, which are at the same time serving as effective terrestrial carbon reservoirs and are playing an important part in building our resilience to climate change in the face of recurring droughts, heavy rain and floods. The integrated management of water in general, and freshwater ecosystems in particular, are of outstanding importance for nature-based climate action in the field of adaptation and mitigation. To achieve our global climate and biodiversity targets, the potential of freshwater ecosystems must be fully leveraged and understood as key for climate resilience and adaptation. We need to prioritize climate-resilient water management and to scale new and innovative, cross-sectoral solutions to harness the powerful potential of nature.
The good news is that in most cases, ecosystems can regain their capabilities to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, if their recovery is supported and they are left undisturbed. A number of solutions for nature-based climate action and restoration that integrate water management already exist today, like the rewetting of peatlands, natural water storage systems or the renaturation of floodplains.
At the global level, the agreement on a framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation, the Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework unite global efforts to harness nature’s potential to reach our global climate and biodiversity goals. Integrated water management and healthy freshwater ecosystems play a crucial role in all of them.
Around the world, we can see promising policy and financing approaches as well as concrete projects and programmes on the ground. In Germany, decisive steps are being taken to address the climate and ecosystem crises – with the Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity, the National Water Strategy, the Federal Climate Adaptation Act as well as the new precautionary Adaptation Strategy which is currently under development. In the EU, things start to take up speed with the approval of the EU restoration law and the EU Adaptation Strategy. These approaches can motivate scaled national action, e.g. when updating NDCs, NBSAPs or NAPs and inspire partners.
Speakers & Panelists
Katie Gallus (Moderator)
Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, BMUV, Germany
Ingrid Timboe, Deputy Executive Director Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, AGWA
Verónica Ruiz, Climate and Disaster Resilience Programme Manager, IUCN
Dr. Ulf Jaeckel, Division Director, German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, BMUV