On the Path of Climate Progress

Coral reefs are incredible natural buffers from coastal storms—a healthy reef can absorb up to 97 percent of a wave’s force. But reefs themselves can be damaged by severe storms, putting nearby communities at greater risk. In Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo, the state government, hotel owners, The Nature Conservancy and the local science community are piloting an innovative strategy to confront this threat. The Coastal Zone Management Trust uses taxes collected from the local business community to finance ongoing maintenance of reefs and beaches—and to purchase a first-of-its-kind insurance policy to ensure these vital ecosystems are restored after extreme storms hit.

While the fate of the United States in the Paris Agreement remains uncertain, California lawmakers voted to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program, which sets an annual limit on greenhouse gas emissions that declines over time and requires companies to purchase or trade “allowances” for each ton of emissions. Meanwhile, in Iowa and other states where agriculture is a major source of emissions, TNC is working with farmers to implement soil health practices that both increase their yields and reduce their carbon footprints. And in New Hampshire, a clean energy fund is enabling investments that not only cut emissions but also reduce energy costs and create new jobs. 

Forests are some of the most important carbon sinks on the planet—but many countries also rely on their forests as a source of economic development. This doesn’t have to be a conflict, though—in fact, preserving and restoring forests is a growing business opportunity. Improving the management of working forests is a key strategy a new Green Growth Compact in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan Province. A partnership between 25 companies, government agencies, communities and nonprofit groups, the compact focuses on improving the management of 2.4 million acres of forest. The plan aims to both stimulate the local economy and also reduce forest-based carbon emissions by nearly 3 million tons each year—the equivalent of removing 600 million cars from the roads.

Small island nations like those in the Caribbean are on the front lines of climate change, threatened by more frequent and intense storms, flooding and degradation of the coral reefs that once mitigated the impact of storms. To protect these important reefs, a cross-sector group of partners is working to map the Caribbean’s coral reefs, combining layers of date from satellites, drones, aircraft and SCUBA divers to providing a first-of-its-kind assessment of reef health. That new data will allow for better management and decision making, such as identifying where reefs need to be supplemented by built infrastructure, as is being done in Grenville, Grenada. The local government, community members and a range of partners are working together to test an artificial reef design that emulates natural reefs. Not only will these reef installations improve storm resilience, they also attract some of the species local fishermen depend on for their livelihoods.

The challenges of water security and carbon emissions have a common solution: trees. Restoring and protecting forests in watersheds helps to reduce sediment pollution, improve water filtration and sequester carbon. In Brazil, for example, water funds in the cities of Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo offer a mechanism to engage actors in both the public and private sectors to invest in the restoration and protection of the Guandu and Cantareira watersheds. The result is both cleaner, more reliable water supplies for the cities and less carbon in the atmosphere.

Where do you go when there is no higher land than the sea’s edge? Climate change is fundamentally altering reality for residents of low-lying, vulnerable islands in Micronesia and Melanesia. The burdens caused by rising seas and diminishing freshwater supplies do not fall equitably, either—so often women bear the responsibility for keeping their families fed and safe under these challenging circumstances. But women in the Pacific are helping to lead efforts to adapt. A first-of-its kind convening in March brought together women leaders from seven island nations to share their stories and discuss their strategies for adaptation.

On the grasslands of northern Kenya, the annual rains have followed a predicable rhythm for millennia. But disruptions to that rhythm, brought on by climate change, are threatening both wildlife and pastoralist communities as worsening cycles of drought create greater competition for grass. One way local community conservancies are addressing this issue is by managing grasslands to maintain wildlife habitat while also enabling sustainable livestock grazing. The Northern Rangelands Trust then purchases cattle from conservancies that have implemented rigorous sustainable grazing plans, with the help of impact investment funds raised by TNC’s NatureVest unit. This model gives herders access to more lucrative mobile markets and directs some of the income back to the community conservancies. These healthier, better-managed grasslands also sequester more carbon from the atmosphere.