The German federal government has recently launched an ambitious plan to invest nearly 4 billion Euros in natural climate protection. The World Economic Forum sees natural climate solutions as potential solutions which, if done well, will “help address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss”. According to a recent article from Deutsche Welle, German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke explains that the plan is meant to strengthen Germany’s existing biodiversity to further mitigate climate change.

With 69 measures across 10 fields of action, the plan is meant to strengthen biodiversity in both cities and countryside across a range of ecosystems and various sectors, such as research and development, transport etc. The three main benefits as outlined by the plan include climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and climate preparedness.

Areas of particular importance in the plan are given to peatlands and forests, whose habitats are important both for water balance and for their functions as carbon sinks. 53 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses are emitted annually because of drained peat soils, so it is crucial to invest time and resources into this effort.

Germany’s investment in nature as a defense against climate change is crucial, not only to restore ecosystems and increase biodiversity, but also to strengthen climate resilience and thus ensure future generations can co-exist peacefully with nature.

Learn more about Germany’s programme for natural climate protection in this summary.

Learn more about nature-based solutions (NBS) and climate on NetworkNatureEU and learn more about ICLEI’s commitment to enhancing biodiversity and NBS here.