Natural Climate Solutions - a Potential Assessment for Northern Germany

Kick-Off-Meeting NCS; Source: Achim Schäfer

Backround

One climate change mitigation option that has been increasingly discussed in recent years is to manage, restore or protect natural carbon sinks, such as forests, peatlands, saltgrass meadows and soils, in such a way that they contribute to the achievement of global or national climate change mitigation targets. Such solutions are called Natural Climate Solutions (NCS). While numerous NCS initiatives are emerging worldwide in recent years, the potential of NCS is controversial. The objection against NCS is that their contribution to climate protection is rather small and that the effects only take effect in the long term. However, these assessments do not in principle speak against research into and use of NCS by countries that would like to take on a pioneering role in this area. The potential of NCS is still largely untapped, both theoretically and practically.

Aim of the project

The aim of the project, which is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Foundation for the Environment), is to determine the potential for NCS in northern Germany. The potential assessment in the project is carried out both a) empirically and b) with the help of economic scenarios. The former based on studies that have already been carried out and evaluated, with which the existing state of knowledge is to be worked up under the question of NCS potentials. The respective NCS potentials are to be estimated under the assumption of moderate climate change, which is within the corridor of the 1.5° target of the Paris Agreement and assumes a globally orchestrated climate policy. In addition to NCS potentials of land use and land use change, the economic sub-project will also answer questions for the development of NCS potentials regarding the establishment of different regulatory instruments or incentive-based economic instruments.

further information: LINK

Title:

Natural Climate Solutions - a potential assessment for Northern Germany

Funded by:

Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), Fkz: 35795/01-33/0

Duration

01.04.2022 to 31.07.2023

 

Overall Project Management:

Prof. Dr. Konrad Ott (Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Chair of Philosophy and Ethics of the Environment)

Projectmanagement at the University of Greifswald:

Prof. Dr. Volker Beckmann (Chair for General Economics and Landscape Economics)

Project processing:

Achim Schäfer

 

Collaborating partners:

  • University of Greifswald, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology (Prof. Dr. Hans Joosten)
  • Christian-Albrechts- University of Kiel, Institute of Crop Production and Plant Breeding, Grassland and Forage Production / Organic Farming (Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Taube)
  • Free University of Bozen, Faculty of Agricultural, Environmentel and Food Sciences (Prof. Dr. Stefan Zerbe)

 

Further information on DBU