Climate change and nature – finding the solutions close-by
As climate impacts grow more severe, the role of nature in building resilience is gaining long-overdue recognition. Sabine Dietz explores how natural systems—often overlooked in policy and planning—are vital to both mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects. From urban tree canopies to wetlands and coastal ecosystems, nature offers practical, local solutions to global challenges. Reconnecting with and restoring these systems is not only possible—it’s essential to protecting communities, ecosystems, and future generations.
Setting the Stage – How Does Nature Fit In?
As the climate changes, we are experiencing an increasing number of unnatural disasters across the country. These impacts are widespread and affect all aspects of our human systems—whether related to health, infrastructure, or the economy. What we often ignore, or fail to realize, is that climate change also affects our natural systems. These systems are the foundation of our ability to live, prosper, work, and play.
Whether it’s trees that provide clean air, wetlands offering clean water, oceans delivering food and climate regulation, or soils supporting food production—all of these are essential to us and to all life on Earth.
Recognizing that natural systems are intricately linked with human-created systems is becoming increasingly critical. This is true both for limiting the degree of climate change (i.e., how much we allow the world to warm) and for managing and minimizing the impacts we are already experiencing. Ignoring the role nature plays—and could play—in addressing our dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss is to our detriment.
Why We Cannot Ignore Nature
Although we often overlook nature—especially in Canada’s large urban centers—this is a mistake. Nature provides multiple essential services, and both humans and non-humans suffer when these are ignored. Climate change may be the crisis bringing nature’s value to the forefront, but those working in conservation have long understood its importance.
Indigenous knowledge, as I understand it from my perspective as a settler and first-generation immigrant, has always recognized nature’s essential role (see: Indigenous Climate Hub).
According to a recent forward-looking scan by Policy Horizons Canada, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are the second most likely disruptions Canada could face in the next 6–8 years. The third highest impact is projected to be an overwhelmed emergency response system.
We can experience the benefits of nature firsthand in our own communities—whether walking to work under a summer tree canopy or observing people naturally gravitate toward green spaces. Urban tree canopies, green spaces, wetlands, and rivers increasingly provide critical services: cooling, clean water, flood management, and more. Protecting, conserving, and restoring these services—and planning our communities to integrate them—will benefit everyone.
Nature as a Critical Part of Resilience
In a world that is increasingly uncertain, rapidly changing, and often frightening—with no “new normal” but only constant change—we must recognize that our actions matter locally, regionally, and globally. We must be mindful of how we are impacting nature—because we are part of it, and we need it to live, work, and play.
In a world that is increasingly uncertain, rapidly changing, and often frightening—with no “new normal” but only constant change—we must recognize that our actions matter locally, regionally, and globally. We must be mindful of how we are impacting nature—because we are part of it, and we need it to live, work, and play.
– Sabine Dietz
Many changes we are witnessing cannot be reversed just by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions today. Despite policies, programs, and promises, we seem unable to implement the scale of change required. There is no simple technological fix. For example, we cannot build seawalls along Canada’s entire coastline to prevent sea level rise or storm surge impacts.
Given the uncertainty introduced by human behavior and decision-making, it is both necessary and practical to seek solutions that address multiple challenges at once. This includes talking about nature and natural systems in the same context as infrastructure risk, adaptation, community resilience, and food security. When we understand how interconnected these challenges are, tackling them may feel less overwhelming—and action becomes more feasible.
The Path Forward
The climate crisis and the nature (biodiversity) crisis are deeply interconnected and critically important because humans are part of nature—and depend on it to live, thrive, work, and play. Strengthening and working with natural systems to address the climate crisis is not optional—it is imperative.
While the task ahead may seem daunting, many individuals and organizations are already doing the work. From Indigenous-led initiatives like Indigenous Guardians, to conservation and restoration projects across the country, action is underway.
Whether it’s restoring stream banks to prevent erosion and manage flooding, planting trees in urban areas to support wildlife and provide shade, rehabilitating wetlands to boost biodiversity and store carbon, or installing rain gardens and green roofs to reduce runoff and increase species diversity—small and large efforts alike are making a difference. These actions help us tackle both crises simultaneously.
