India Forum for Nature-based Solutions: Annual Summit

Climate change continues to intensify the risk posed to people, nature and climate. Infrastructure systems designed for long-term service to large populations are being stressed by the growing pressure and demands stemming from increasingly frequent and intense climate events. Climate-related disasters cost over US$630 billion in economic damage globally between 2016 and 2018 (Morgan Stanley 2019), and India suffered over $37 billion in infrastructural losses and damage due to extreme climate events in 2018 alone (Eckstein et al. 2019). Further, the knock-on effects of these extreme climate events are exacerbating vulnerabilities in social and ecological systems, impacting lives and livelihoods. India is also home to 13 of the 20 cities that are most vulnerable to environmental hazards globally (Firstpost 2021).

Analysis by G20 Insights has shown that “the socioeconomic costs of infrastructure damage and lost functionality that follow natural disasters, including climate change or a major attack, are much larger than the cost of improving infrastructure resiliency to typical events and properly maintaining it” (Kovarik et al. 2020). Evidence suggests that nature-based solutions (NbS) can reduce the vulnerability of social-ecological systems to environmental shocks and changes in three ways: first, by reducing exposure to climate hazards; second, by reducing sensitivity to adverse impacts; and third, by building adaptive capacity. In addition to addressing the localized challenges associated with flooding, drought, and extreme heat, NbS has also demonstrated public health, education, and awareness benefits, as well as environmental benefits such as microclimate and water regulation, improved biodiversity, and sequestration.

However, local systems to implement NbS are fragmented, with actors working in silos and limited trust between stakeholders. Public finance remains the primary source of funding, but governments have a limited appetite for risk, and responsibilities are not clearly defined across departments. Finally, stakeholder capacities, perceptions on the reliability of these solutions, and long-term operational models will have to be strengthened before these solutions can be scaled up.

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