Appendix 3: Call for evidence
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, Chaired by Lord Patel, is conducting an inquiry into Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change to assist in achieving the UK’s target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The deadline for receiving written evidence submissions is Thursday 30 September 2021.
Background
In recent years, there has been a renewed focus on nature-based solutions (NbS) to help address societal challenges, including climate change. These solutions are based on protecting, managing, restoring, or creating natural or modified ecosystems, on land or in marine environments. These techniques can mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases or reducing emissions from the land-use sector. They also aim to provide co-benefits, such as enhanced protection for biodiversity, improved health, water security, increased resilience to extreme weather events, and broader adaptation to climate change.
The UK is host to many natural ecosystems such as peatlands, seagrasses, and woodlands that have historically been degraded or lost. Following a recent methodology change, land use in the UK has now been identified as a net source of greenhouse gas emissions (Defra, 2019 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Final Figures, 2 February 2021). This issue could worsen with additional climate change, although it may be possible to address land use emissions using nature-based solutions.
Successful implementation of nature-based solutions requires careful, site-specific planning, stakeholder engagement, financing and regulation. Systems must be created for accurately measuring, modelling, reporting and verifying the effects of interventions on ecosystems and carbon emissions. Nationally and internationally, concerns around financing, governance, and delivery of ambitious pledges must be addressed. The size of the potential mitigation contribution from nature-based solutions remains unclear.
The Committee seeks to understand the potential of nature-based solutions to contribute to Net Zero emissions in the UK; how nature-based solutions can fit into the UK’s broader land use, forestry and agricultural planning; and how policy can support the implementation of best-practice techniques to deliver nature-based solutions at scale.
The Committee is seeking evidence on the following questions (there is no requirement to answer all questions in your submission):
Questions
1.What is the potential scale of the contribution that nature-based solutions can make to decarbonisation in the UK?
- Which ecosystems are most relevant to the UK for nature-based solutions, and which have the largest potential to sequester carbon or reduce emissions?
- How much of the UK’s ‘hard-to-mitigate’ emissions can be offset by nature-based solutions? How much of the UK’s land and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) coastal areas would need to be managed to achieve this, and what level of investment would be required?
- How do the costs and benefits (including co-benefits), of implementing nature-based solutions compare to other techniques for offsetting ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ sectors?
2.What major scientific uncertainties persist in understanding the effects of nature-based solutions and affect their inclusion in carbon accounting, and how can these uncertainties be addressed?
- How reliable are the estimates of the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions reduction or sequestration by nature-based solutions, as well as the duration and reliability of storage?
- Which bodies should be involved in establishing an agreed evidence base to inform best-practice techniques for restoring peatlands?
- To what extent do we understand the capacity of the oceans and coastal ecosystems to sequester greenhouse gases through nature-based solutions?
3.What frameworks already exist for the regulation and financing of nature-based solutions?
- What can be learned from the implementation of the Woodland and Peatland Codes for the regulation and financing of nature-based solutions?
- Are there good examples of nature-based solutions already being undertaken in the UK or elsewhere, and what can we learn from them?
- How should a hybrid public-private financing model be regulated? How should any carbon offsetting markets be regulated to ensure that they prioritise and support well-designed and effective nature-based solutions?
- How can we ensure that the carbon accountancy is science-based, robust, and consistent across nature-based solutions?
4.Who are the key stakeholders for the implementation of nature-based solutions in the UK? How can stakeholders’ expertise and concerns inform the incentives and requirements for implementing nature-based solutions?
- How can farmers (including tenant farmers) and land managers be supported in their deployment of nature-based solutions by policy and legislative frameworks?
- Are there examples of projects which have engaged with stakeholders and local communities to implement nature-based solutions successfully, and what can we learn from them?
5.How should implementation of nature-based solutions be integrated with other government policies for landscapes and seascapes, for example, agricultural, forestry, and land-use planning policies?
- How could nature-based solutions implementation contribute to the UK’s goals surrounding biodiversity, the preservation of nature, and adaptation to climate change?
- Which ongoing governmental plans, policies, and strategies are relevant to nature-based solutions, and can they be better coordinated? For example, are the Nature for Climate Fund and associated targets for peatland and forestry restoration designed so as to support nature-based solutions?
- Should incentives for nature-based solutions be included in future agri-environment schemes, and if so, how?
6.How should nature-based solutions be planned and monitored at the national level?
- What measuring, reporting, and verification requirements should be put in place to determine the degree of success of nature-based solutions? Which techniques and technologies are best suited to accomplishing robust monitoring?
21 July 2021