Nature’s Answer to Climate Risk

About half the world’s people live near coasts, and climate change is putting their livelihoods at risk. A risk assessment report from the World Economic Forum points to “failure to adapt to the effects of climate change as the single greatest risk, in terms of impact, to societies and economies around the world,” explains Maria Damanaki, global managing director for oceans at the Nature Conservancy. Societies continue to invest more in disaster response than mitigation. She calls for governments, industry and NGOs to be more cost-efficient by focusing on prevention efforts by protecting natural ecosystems that provide defenses against coastal flooding including mangrove and coral-reef buffers. In Barbados, every dollar invested in coral reefs and mangroves has saved $20 against hurricane losses. The World Bank, the Nature Conservancy, and teams of engineers, geologists and other specialists are collaborating on calculating the value of natural protections. Damanaki concludes that “preserving and restoring nature may be the smartest investment we can make.” – YaleGlobal