The value of natural capital in climate protection

The value of natural capital in climate protection

in the concept of natural capital

natural capital is a term that refers to the resources and functions that are provided by natural ecosystems and are essential for human life and business. These include, for example, clean water, healthy soils, stable climate and diverse species. While these "services" are largely free of charge and are often taken for granted, they have a significant economic and social value. This implementation now finds its way into political and economic strategies to preserve natural resources and to contain climate change.

natural capital and its role in climate protection

The carbon binding by ecosystems

A significant proportion of natural capital plays a central role in climate protection, namely due to the ability of nature to bind carbon and be storage. Forests, bogs, grasslands and oceans are particularly important carbon sinks. They absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store this carbon in your biomass and in the soil.

These sinks make a valuable contribution to climate protection because they help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The preservation and restoration of this carbon store is therefore an important strategy in the fight against climate change. There is the possibility that forests and other ecosystems can make a significant contribution to the weakening of climate change by serving as CO2 sinks.

adaptation to climate change

Natural capital also plays an important role in adapting to climate change. For example, natural ecosystems such as mangrove forests and coral reefs offer protection against storm surges and coastal erosion. Dry forests and grassland ecosystems store water and thus protect against skinny. Mountain ecosystems house a variety of ways and stabilize hanging to prevent avalanches and landslides.

preservation of natural capital by sustainable business

Sustainable land use

One of the greatest threats to natural capital is intensive land use, especially for agriculture and urban development. By converting natural areas into agricultural and settlement areas, valuable ecosystems and their skills to provide ecosystem services are lost.

Therefore, a more sustainable land use is of crucial importance for the preservation of natural capital and climate protection. This includes, for example, avoidance of deforestation, the restoration of degraded areas, the protection of wetlands and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.

Sustainable economic policy

Sustainable economic policy can also help maintain natural capital and limit climate change. Business and politics are increasingly recognizing that a sustainable economy can only be successful in a healthy environment. Therefore, there are various approaches to include natural capital in economic decision -making processes.

On the one hand, there is the concept of the "Natural Capital Accounting" (NCA), in which the value of natural capital in the national economic balance sheets is taken into account. In this way, the "free" services that nature provides are made visible and recognized their value.

summary

The value of natural capital for climate protection is enormous. Thanks to its ability to store carbon and adapting us to the consequences of climate change, it is an indispensable part of our efforts to limit global warming. The preservation and restoration of natural capital through sustainable land use and economic policies is therefore of crucial importance. It is time that we begin to see natural capital as what it really is: a valuable asset that we have to protect to secure our future.