Niua

NIUA Newsletter

Issue - 18

March 2024

Monthly

Spotlight

Climate Change - Nature Based Solutions (NBS)

#Nature as #infrastructure can transform development. Building nature as an asset class needs an understanding of the value of nature, which requires expanding various tools and financial instruments.

Within this context, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and NIUA organised a seminar titled ‘Nature as Infrastructure’ on February 12th, 2024, at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The event featured the regional launch of the Asian Infrastructure Finance Report 2023 and a dynamic panel discussion with distinguished experts.

The report highlights accurately valuing nature - at the macro level by internalising the role of natural capital in growth & at the micro level by considering the huge potential of #naturebasedsolutions.  It discusses better designing of grey infrastructure (ex. wildlife highway crossings, green urban spaces, restoring nature as offsets, etc.). It also examines project-level valuation tools (e.g., usage charges or permits, tax on damages, etc.) & adaptive local regulations. Micro-level policies can thus support the flow of finance to nature through KPI linked bonds, policy-based lending, debt-for-nature swaps, nature credit markets, etc. The AIIB's newly launched report focuses on nature based solutions (NBS) for infrastructure development, advocating for the seamless integration of natural elements with conventional infrastructure to boost both environmental and economic benefits.

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Dialogues and Discussions

Thematic Focus: Climate Change - Nature Based Solutions (NBS)

Over 3.3 billion people live in places that are highly vulnerable to climate change.

USD 393 Billion could be saved by 2050 by using NBS, which can reduce the intensity of climate hazards by 26%, stabilising warming below 2°C.

Resources

https://egov.eletsonline.com/2023/11/building-climate-resilient-indian-cities-the-crucial-role-of-ecosystem-based-adaptation-eba/

Building Climate-Resilient Indian Cities: The Crucial Role of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA): The article focuses on Nature-based Solutions (NBS) by advocating for integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) strategies in urban planning to enhance climate resilience in Indian cities.

https://niua.in/c-cube/sites/all/themes/zap/pdf/A%20Catalogue%20of%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Building%20Flood%20Resilience.pdf

Building flood resilience: Learn about cost-effective, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for flood mitigation through real-world examples. This resource highlights how ecosystems like wetlands and urban green spaces can absorb floodwaters and enhance urban biodiversity. 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7159118790243344384

#ClimateSimplified Series: Nature-Based Solutions:

Wondering how Nature-based Solutions can tackle climate change? 

The City Climate Alliance, in collaboration with the India Forum for Nature-based Solutions, brings forward a series of short videos that help break our everyday jargon under NBS. An ongoing initiative has helped explain the terms 'Nature-based Solutions', 'Wetlands' and 'Sponge Cities'  by partners and experts to make the concepts accessible and relatable.

 

In the news

https://www.indiatimes.com/explainers/news/nature-based-solutions-empowering-climate-resilience-622267.html

The article emphasises the role of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in promoting climate resilience and environmental sustainability, It discusses the challenges and opportunities in NBS implementation,highlighting successful collaborations that have led to impactful environmental conservation efforts. 

Staff Opinion

Vaishnavi Shankar

Lead - Climate Centre for Cities, NIUA

Embracing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) presents an effective strategy for maximising benefits while minimising costs. Beyond addressing pressing climate vulnerabilities like flooding and urban heat, NBS offer immense potential to generate co-benefits such as enhancing air, water, and soil quality, conserving biodiversity, and fostering the health and well-being of communities.

At C-Cube, NIUA, our work empowers cities to make informed decisions regarding NBS adoption. We have curated a compendium of best practices for bolstering flood resilience and are currently developing a decision-nudge tool to steer cities towards NBS over conventional methods. Through the CCA, we're demystifying NBS knowledge via succinct video bytes, tackling one concept each week. Serving as the core partner of the India forum for NBS, we're committed to nurturing an enabling environment for widespread NBS adoption.

Knowledge Products

Publications

National Workshop TCAP May 2023

Reports

The Conclave focused on sharing experiences of Odishas urban transformation journey with decentralised, inclusive, and community-led models. Distinguished thought leaders and practitioners from different parts of the world gathered

National Urban Conclave Report

Reports

The Conclave focused on sharing experiences of Odishas urban transformation journey with decentralised, inclusive, and community-led models. Distinguished thought leaders and practitioners from different parts of the world gathered


Articles

4th March 2024

Navigating the Urban Flood Conundrum: A call for holistic solutions

Urban Flooding

Contributors: Dr. Debolina Kundu & Ila Singh

9th February 2024

Navigating the Future: An in Depth Analysis of Government Technology Trends in 2024

Digital and Data

Contributors: Pankaj Sharma

9th February 2024

Navigating the Future: An in-depth analysis of Government Technology Trends in 2024

Digital and Data

Contributors: Pankaj Sharma

15th January 2024

Nurturing Water Systems

Water

Contributors: Dr. Debolina Kundu & Ila Singh

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