How Science Can Help Inform Policy Decisions on Climate and Biodiversity

Our ability to achieve green growth on our path to recovery from the current pandemic may be critical for addressing an even greater and more insidious existential crisis, which is that of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, even a 0.5°C difference in the level of global warming can significantly increase the risk of droughts, floods, extreme weather and poverty for hundreds of millions of people globally. In a recent study, an international group of scientists reported that Nature can provide 37% of the necessary climate mitigation between now and 2030 for a greater than 66% likelihood of achieving the 2°C target of the Paris Climate Agreement. These so-called “nature-based climate solutions” include the conservation, restoration and improved management of forests, wetlands and agricultural lands to increase carbon sequestration, reduce CO2 emissions, and enhance climate resilience. There are, however, considerable knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to identify and realise the promise of nature-based climate solutions. In this talk, Prof. Koh Lian Pin will address some of these challenges.