Opportunities offered by Nature Based Solutions in Cities

Our cities are growing rapidly in terms of inhabitants and surface.
Today 70 % of European citizens live in cities, a number that is expected to increase to 80 % by 2050. In other words, a mere 30 years from now, 36 million new urban citizens will need housing, employment and care.
At the same time, the unsustainable rate of urbanization as it is taking place today, is endangering biodiversity and natural ecosystems, as well as human health and social cohesion.

Urban areas have a fundamental role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in Europe and around the world.
It is estimated that cities occupy 3% of the Earth’s land, but account for two thirds of the world’s energy demand and 70% of CO2 emissions.
Cities’ large carbon footprint also affects air quality, raising growing concerns on the health and well-being of citizens.

NBS address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, providing benefits to human well-being and biodiversity with the power of nature.
They can provide governments with effective, long-term and cost-efficient measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change , opportunities for active and healthy living, increase self-sufficiency and provide recarbonization of the soil through nature-based negative emission technologies (e.g. biochar, enhanced silicate weathering).