Nature-Based Solutions to Disaster Risk From Climate Change Are Cost Effective, UMass Amherst Study Confirms

A new global assessment of scientific literature led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds that nature-based solutions (NbS) are an economically effective method to mitigate risks from a range of disasters—from floods and hurricanes to heatwaves and landslides—which are only expected to intensify as Earth continues to warm.

NbS are interventions where an ecosystem is either preserved, sustainably managed or restored to provide benefits to society and to nature. For instance, they can mitigate risk from a natural disaster, or facilitate climate mitigation and adaptation. NbS have emerged in combination with or as an alternative to engineering-based solutions. A classic example is restoring wetlands to address coastal flooding rather than constructing a seawall.

“Nature-based solutions are now recognized by major national policies and international global framework agreements to combat climate change, including those drafted by the U.N. and the White House. However, there has been limited scientific knowledge about the cost-effectiveness and equity outcomes of NbS,” says Marta Vicarelli, assistant professor of economics and public policy at UMass Amherst and the study’s lead author. “Our results indicate that not only are NbS economically effective in mitigating hazards, but that their benefits are still underestimated.”

Read more at University of Massachusetts Amherst

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